Chemometrics and hyperspectral imaging applied to assessment of chemical, textural and structural characteristics of meat

Spectroscopy in the visible near-infrared spectral (Vis-NIRS) range combined with imaging techniques (hyper-spectral imaging, HSI) allows assessment of chemical composition, texture, and meat structure. The use of HSI inthe meat and food industry has observed a significant growth in the last decade, yet its use for assessment ofmeat it is not optimal yet. The application of HSI for assessment of meat is reviewed with focus on its ability tocapture meat unique chemical and structural characteristics. While HSI is widely used for assessment of chemicalcomposition, a limited number of evidences on its ability to handle the effect of different sources of variation onthe assessment is found. The use of spatially resolved spectroscopy has been able to detect structural informationrelated to animal background, muscle type, rigor process and ageing. Similarly the use of texture features seemto capture unique characteristics of meat.