Direct Spectrophotometric Determination of Fat and Moisture in Meat Products

SUMMARY— The near‐infrared spectral absorption properties of P‐mm‐thick samples of meat emulsions were measured by direct spectrophotometric techniques. The resulting spectra are interpreted in terms of absorptions from O‐H and C‐H stretching vibrations combined with scatter losses. Optical‐density differences are correlated with fat and moisture contents. The difference in optical density between 1.80 and 1.725 p gave a high correlation with moisture content and the difference between 1.725 and 1.65 P gave a high correlation with fat content. Direct spectrophotometric analysis predicted fat content within a standard error of ± 2.1% and moisture content within ± 1.4%. The possibilities of this technique are explored and the problems to be solved in developing a rapid, accurate method are discussed