Portable Raman Spectrometer as a Screening Tool for Characterization of Iberian Dry-Cured Ham

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Dry-cured Iberian ham classification relies on breed and feeding, leading to price disparities.
• Labeling fraud in Iberian ham causes significant economic damage to the food industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore Raman spectroscopy as a rapid, in situ screening tool for Iberian ham.
• To differentiate Iberian ham based on pig breed (purebred vs. crossbred) and feeding regime (acorn-fed vs. feed-fed).

Main Methods:

• Analyzed 110 dry-cured Iberian ham samples using Raman spectroscopy.
• Applied chemometric treatment to overcome fluorescence interference and extract spectral information.
• Conducted an interlaboratory study with 52 samples to validate the method's applicability.

Main Results:

• Achieved high validated classification rates: 83.3% for feeding regime and 86.7% for breed.
• The developed method demonstrated robustness in an interlaboratory setting, with validated rates exceeding 80%.

Conclusions:

• Raman spectroscopy, coupled with chemometrics, is a viable rapid screening tool for authenticating Iberian ham.
• This technique can effectively combat labeling fraud by accurately identifying breed and feeding practices.