Use of MIR spectroscopy associated with chemometric techniques to verify the authenticity of prato cheese

Prato and mozzarella cheeses have very similar characteristics, both in processing and in the final product. As prato cheese must be matured for at least 25 days, the similarities between the cheeses provide vulnerability to fraud. To verify the authenticity of commercial prato cheeses, mid-infrared spectroscopy and chemometric techniques were used. Prato and mozzarella cheese samples (40 each) were produced and analysed at various times up to 60 days of maturation. Twenty commercial samples of prato cheese from 13 different brands were acquired. Principal component analysis revealed the formation of two groups (prato and mozzarella). Sixteen commercial samples were superimposed on mozzarella cheese and four on prato cheese. Discriminant methods showed classification rates above 84%. Commercial samples were classified as mozzarella cheese, with an 82.5% probability of classification. The techniques used were efficient in differentiating and classifying the samples, revealing that commercial samples were likely not authentic for prato cheese.