Application of FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics for authentication of meat and meat products: a review

Meat-based food such as meatball and sausages are important sources of protein needed for the human body. Due to different prices, some unethical producers try to adulterate high-price meat such as beef with lower priced meat like pork and rat meat to gain economical profits, therefore, reliable and fast analytical techniques should be developed, validated, and applied for meat traceability and authenticity. Some instrumental techniques have been applied for the detection of meat adulteration, mainly relied on DNA and protein using polymerase chain reaction and chromatographic methods, respectively. But, this method is time-consuming, needs a sophisticated instrument, involves complex sample preparation which make the method is not suitable for routine analysis. As a consequence, a simpler method based on spectroscopic principles should be continuously developed. Food samples are sometimes complex which resulted in complex chemical responses. Fortunately, a statistical method called with chemometrics could solve the problems related to complex chemical data. This mini-review highlights the application of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy coupled with numerous chemometrics techniques for authenticity and traceability of meat and meat-based products.