ARS | Publication request: CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECTRAL VARIATIONS OF IRRADIATED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH 2D CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY

Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: September 25, 2002
Publication Date: November 1, 2002
Citation: CHAO, K., LIU, Y., CHEN, Y.R., THAYER, D.W., HRUSCHKA, W.R. CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECTRAL VARIATIONS OF IRRADIATED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH 2D CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY. APPLIED ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE. 2002.

Interpretive Summary: Irradiation is very effective to eliminate foodborne pathogens to prolong shelf life of various meats and meat products. Irradiation, however, may alter the color of meats. In earlier studies, we have developed a simple methodology for monitoring the color variations of meats based on visible spectroscopy. To further validate the previous results and to establish the relationship between the meat structure and color parameters, a MATLAB-based two-dimensional (2D) correlation computer program was developed and used to analyze 2D spectra of irradiated chicken meats at various irradiation doses and storage times. The results indicate that the relative amount of oxymyoglobin (560 nm) increases as a result of irradiation. Guided by the 2D-correlation analysis, a wavelength region (560 nm) was found where the storage effect was most evident. This involved some experimenting with the parameters involved in derivative calculation. The final result showed clear quantitative differences between the spectral behavior over time (approximately a 12-day delay for high dose) of chicken breasts irradiated at different doses. This information is useful to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the poultry meat processing industry.

Technical Abstract: The spectral characteristics and meat structure of irradiated chicken breasts with dose and storage time were studied by two-dimensional (2D) correlation visible spectroscopy. A Matlab-based 2D-correlation computer program was developed and used to analyze 2D spectra of irradiated chicken meats at various irradiation doses and storage times. The results indicated that the relative amount of oxymyoglobin (560 nm) increases as a result of irradiation. The similarities and differences between the spectral effects at different irradiation doses were also clear, and agreed in general with previously reported spectral changes related to the different forms of myoglobin. The results of the 2D correlation analysis showed that the wavelength region at 560 nm was affected the most during storage. An asymmetric second derivative there showed that highly irradiated meats begin to change approximately 12 days later than raw meats.