EVALUATION OF NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) SPECTROSCOPY FOR RAPID DETERMINATION OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BEEF

Abstract

Rapid and reliable assessment of beef quality is essential for ensuring product consistency and consumer satisfaction. Conventional laboratory methods used to determine physicochemical characteristics are accurate but are destructive, labour-intensive, and time-consuming. This study evaluated the potential of Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a rapid and non-destructive alternative for determining the physicochemical characteristics of beef. Sixty beef samples were analysed using both conventional proximate analysis and NIR spectroscopy. Physicochemical properties, including moisture, crude protein, crude fat, ash content, pH, water-holding capacity, shear force, and instrumental colour, were determined using standard laboratory procedures. The results obtained from NIR spectroscopy were compared with those from conventional proximate analysis to assess their agreement. Moisture content showed no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the two methods, indicating good agreement, whereas significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) were observed for crude protein, crude fat, and ash content. The measured physical quality attributes also demonstrated normal variation among beef samples. Overall, the findings indicate that NIR spectroscopy provides a rapid, non-destructive, and practical approach for routine evaluation of beef quality, with particularly promising performance for moisture determination. Further studies using larger datasets and improved analytical approaches are recommended to enhance prediction accuracy and support the wider application of NIR spectroscopy in the meat industry.