Authentication of Maltese Pork Meat Unveiling Insights Through ATR-FTIR and Chemometric Analysis

Ensuring the authenticity of meat products is a critical issue for consumer protection, regulatory compliance, and the integrity of local food systems. In this study, attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometric and machine learning models was applied to differentiate Maltese from non-Maltese pork. Spectral datasets were subjected to a range of preprocessing techniques, including Savitzky–Golay first and second derivatives, detrending, orthogonal signal correction (OSC), and standard normal variate (SNV). Linear methods such as principal component analysis–linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA), the soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA), and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were compared against nonlinear approaches, namely support vector machine regression (SVMR) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). The results revealed that derivative preprocessing consistently enhanced spectral resolution and model robustness, with the fingerprint region (1800–600 cm−1) yielding the highest discriminative power. While PCA-LDA, SIMCA, and PLSR achieved high accuracy, SVMR and ANN models provided a superior predictive performance, with accuracies exceeding 0.99 and lower misclassification rates under external validation. These findings highlight the potential of FTIR spectroscopy combined with nonlinear chemometrics as a rapid, non-destructive, and cost-effective strategy for meat authentication, supporting both consumer safety and sustainable food supply chains.