Evaluation of porcine fat with fiber-optic spectroscopy.

Spectroscopy using four types of fiberoptic probes and a sensor at wavelengths of 400 to 1,100 nm was evaluated to assess porcine fat quality. The shapes of the spectrum for the leaf fat with white color and various firmnesses differed with the type of probe: surface, contact, insertion, or transmittance. The internal reflectance ratio using the insertion probe at wavelengths from approximately 600 to 1,000 nm was positively correlated with the hardness, melting point, and saturated fatty acid content of the fat, but it was negatively correlated with the refractive index and polyunsaturated fatty acid content. The correlations between the internal reflectance ratio using the insertion probe and the monounsaturated fatty acid content were strong only near 1,100 nm. Surface reflectance at more than 650 nm was negatively correlated with refractive index. Transmittance at almost all wavelengths showed positive correlations with monounsaturated fatty acid content, but it was negatively correlated with hardness, melting point, and saturated fatty acid content. The interactance using the contact probe did not have a significant correlation with any physiochemical characteristics. The strongest relationships for hardness, refractive index, saturated fatty acid content, monounsaturated fatty acid content, polyunsaturated fatty acid content, and melting point were obtained at 650 nm (r = .88), 660 nm (r = -.91), 645 nm (r = .73), 1,095 nm (r = .68), and 930 nm (r = -.76), respectively, using the insertion probe and 1,050 nm (r = -.79) using the transmittance probe (P<.05). These results indicated that fiber-optic methods were rapid and useful techniques for the evaluation of porcine fat quality.