A global calibration model for prediction of intramuscular fat and pH in red meat using hyperspectral imaging.

This study demonstrates a novel approach to develop global calibration models for predicting intramuscular fat (IMF) and pH across various red meat species and muscle types. A total of 8 hyperspectral imaging (HSI) datasets were used from different experiments, comprising data from three species: beef, lamb and venison across various muscle type, slaughter season and measurement conditions. Prediction models were developed using Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) and Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) using a total of 1080 and 1116 samples for IMF and pH, respectively. Models for pH and IMF via both techniques yielded high Rc2 (0.86-0.93) and low SEC values. Also, reasonably accurate prediction performance was observed with high Rp2 (0.86-0.89) and low SEP values. Overall results illustrated the comprehensiveness of these global calibration models with the ability to predict IMF and pH of red meat samples irrespective of species and muscle type.

Non-invasive spectroscopic and imaging systems for prediction of beef quality in a meat processing pilot plant.

This study evaluated a range of diffuse reflectance spectroscopic (Vis-NIR spectrophotometers) and imaging (Hyperspectral imaging cameras) instruments for predicting pH, IMF and shear force values of beef in a meat processing pilot plant. A total of 364 beef striploin samples were evaluated and prediction models were developed using PLSR. Models for pH and IMF (except Vis snapshot camera) showed good fit with high Rcv2 (0.29-0.92) and low SECV values. Good prediction accuracy with high Rp2 (0.44-0.90), RPD and low SEP values was also observed. While low values of Rp2 for shear force was observed, the expected curvilinear relationship between predicted values of shear force and predicted values of pH was observed suggesting that spectroscopic measurements were able detect biophysical factors associated to these two attributes. Overall, it can be concluded that diffuse reflectance spectroscopy combined with chemometrics has a great potential to be used as an on/in-line quality monitoring system for the meat processing industry.

Evaluating the performance of a miniaturized NIR spectrophotometer for predicting intramuscular fat in lamb: A comparison with benchtop and hand-held Vis-NIR spectrophotometers.

This study compares a miniaturized spectrophotometer to benchtop and hand-held Vis-NIR instruments in the spectral range of 900-1700 nm for prediction of intramuscular fat (IMF) content of freeze-dried ground lamb meat; and their ability to differentiate fresh lamb meat based on animal age (4 vs 12 months). The performance of the miniaturized spectrophotometer was not affected by sample temperature equilibration time. Partial Least Square regression models for IMF showed Rcv2 = 0.86-0.89 and RMSECV = 0.36-0.40 values for all instruments. Day-to-day instrumental variation adversely affected performance of the miniaturized spectrophotometer (R2p = 0.27, RMSEP = 1.28). This negative effect was overcome by representing day-to-day variation in the model. The benchtop spectrophotometer and miniaturized spectrophotometer differentiated lamb meat by animal age. The miniaturized spectrophotometer has potential to be a fast, ultra-compact and cost-effective device for predicting IMF in freeze-dried ground lamb meat and for age classification of fresh lamb meat.

Challenges in Model Development for Meat Composition Using Multipoint NIR Spectroscopy from At-Line to In-Line Monitoring.

This study evaluates the efficiency of multipoint near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict the fat and moisture content of minced beef samples both in at-line and on-line modes. Additionally, it aims at identifying the obstacles that can be encountered in the path of performing in-line monitoring. Near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectra of minced beef samples were collected using an NIR spectrophotometer, employing a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models based on reference values from proximate analysis yielded calibration coefficients of determination (Rc2) of 0.96 for both fat and moisture. For an independent batch of samples, fat was estimated with a prediction coefficient of determination (Rp2) of 0.87 and 0.82 for the samples in at-line and on-line modes, respectively. All the models were found to have good prediction accuracy; however, a higher bias was observed for predictions under on-line mode. Overall results from this study illustrate that multipoint NIR systems combined with multivariate analysis has potential as a process analytical technology (PAT) tool for monitoring process parameters such as fat and moisture in the meat industry, providing real-time spectral and spatial information.

Quantification of rubidium as a trace element in beef using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy.

This study evaluates the potential of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) coupled with chemometrics to develop a quantification model for rubidium (Rb) in minced beef. A LIBSCAN 150 system was used to collect LIBS spectra of minced beef samples. Beef liver was used to spike the Rb levels in minced beef. All samples were dried, powdered and pelleted using a hydraulic press. Measurements were conducted by scanning 100 different locations with an automated XYZ sample chamber. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to develop the calibration model, yielding a calibration coefficient of determination (Rc2) of 0.99 and a root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.05ppm. The model also showed good results with leave-one-out cross validation, yielding a cross-validation coefficient of determination (Rcv2) of 0.90 and a root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 0.22ppm. The current study shows the potential of LIBS as a rapid analysis tool for the meat processing industry.

Optimization of atmospheric air plasma for degradation of organic dyes in wastewater.

This study optimises the degradation of a cocktail of the dyes methyl orange and bromothymol blue by atmospheric air plasma. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to investigate the efficacy of the plasma process parameters on degradation efficiency. A Box-Behnken design (BBD) was employed to optimise the degradation of dyes by air plasma discharge. A second order polynomial equation was proposed to predict process efficiency. It was observed that the predicted values are significant (p < 0.001) with coefficients of determination 0.98, 0.96, 0.98 for dye degradation, pH value and ozone concentration, respectively. The analysis of variance results showed that the coefficients of the polynomials for the percentage degradation and ozone concentration responses indicated positive linear effects (p < 0.001), whereas a negative linear effect was found for pH. The positive linear effect of variable emphasises that voltage and treatment time were the most dominant factors (p < 0.001), meaning that higher degradation efficiencies are achieved with an increase in treatment duration. This study showed that a BBD model and RSM could be employed to optimize the colour degradation parameters of non-thermal plasma treated model dyes while minimising the number of experiments required.

Developments and Challenges in Online NIR Spectroscopy for Meat Processing.

Meat and meat products are popular foods due to their balanced nutritional nature and their availability in a variety of forms. In recent years, due to an increase in the consumer awareness regarding product quality and authenticity of food, rapid and effective quality control systems have been sought by meat industries. Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been identified as a fast and cost-effective tool for estimating various meat quality parameters as well as detecting adulteration. This review focusses on the on/inline application of single and multiprobe NIR spectroscopy for the analysis of meat and meat products starting from the year 1996 to 2017. The article gives a brief description about the theory of NIR spectroscopy followed by its application for meat and meat products analysis. A detailed discussion is provided on the various studies regarding applications of NIR spectroscopy and specifically for on/inline monitoring along with their advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, a brief description has been given about the various chemometric techniques utilized in the mentioned studies. Finally, it discusses challenges encountered and future prospects of the technology. It is concluded that, advancements in the fields of NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics have immensely increased the potential of the technology as a reliable on/inline monitoring tool for the meat industry.

Fruit and vegetable peels: Paving the way towards the development of new generation therapeutics.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes mellitus (DM), cancer, and thyroid abnormalities are major health problems prevalent around the world and are responsible for a large portion of morbidity and mortality out of health problems overall. Advances in genomics and proteomics in recent years have led to an explosion in the number of possible therapeutic targets and drug candidates through use of molecular approaches, chemical synthesis, traditional medicinal chemistry, and phyto-chemistry and through the exploration of novel herbal preparations. However, virtually none of these candidates are devoid of potential adverse drug reaction(s) or undesirable side effects. Therefore, the clear need is to look to alternative ways to develop novel drug candidates with fewer side effects and less cost. Interestingly, the last few years have seen an increase in the number of available reports on fruits and vegetable peels, and particularly on their biological activity, their content of different bioactive compounds, their chemical characterization, understanding of their structure-activity relationships, isolation and purification of commercially important chemicals without using high throughput techniques, etc. Therefore, research in the field of fruit and vegetable peels should present immense possibilities for drug discovery and development of cost-effective therapies that have fewer or practically no side effects. This virtual explosion of interest in fruit and vegetable peels as a source of medicinal and nutritional value has led to the present review.

HIV seropositivity among adult tuberculosis patients in Delhi.

We report HIV seropositivity among tuberculosis patients from our hospital between 1994-99. Of the 500 patients with various forms of tuberculosis, two were found to be seropositive (0.4%). This report contrasts with the HIV seropositivity reports from other parts of India where increasing HIV seropositivity has been reported. As the HIV infection is making rapid in-roads in India, it is suggested that continuous HIV sero-surveillance should be done in patients with tuberculosis.