Determination of moisture and fat in meats by microwave and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis: collaborative study.

Ten laboratories participated in a collaborative study to determine the total moisture and fat in raw and processed meat products by microwave drying and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Meat products were prepared following the AOAC Method and analyzed using CEM Corp.'s SMART Trac Moisture and Fat Analysis system. SMART Trac provides moisture results by measuring the weight loss on drying by microwave energy. The dried sample is then analyzed by NMR spectrometry for fat content. Moisture and fat results are displayed and reported by the SMART Trac as a percentage (g/100 g). Microwave drying is an AOAC-approved reference method (Method 985.14), Moisture in Meat and Poultry Products. NMR spectrometry is a secondary technique used to determine the concentration of various constituents in biological, organic, or chemical samples. The study design was based on Youden's matched pair principle for collaborative tests. For the purposes of this study, 10 laboratories each tested 10 Youden matched pairs, for a total of 20 samples. The study samples represented a range of products processed daily in plant operations. Included were raw meat samples (beef, pork, chicken, and turkey) as well as processed meats (beef hot dog, pork sausage, and ham). The total moisture content of the undiluted samples, as received for the purposes of this study, was determined by AOAC Method 950.46 and ranged from 54.03 to 74.99%. The total fat content of the undiluted samples was determined by AOAC Method 960.39 and ranged from 1.00 to 29.79%. Statistical analysis of study results for total moisture yielded a relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) range of 0.14 to 0.95% and a relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) range of 0.26 to 0.95%. Statistical analysis for total fat yielded similar RSDr and RSDR range of 0.74 to 4.08%. Results for turkey had higher RSDr and RSDR values, both at 12.6%, due to low fat content and possibly to the separation of the samples observed by some of the collaborators. Results demonstrate that microwave drying with NMR is a rapid, practical method providing results equivalent to AOAC Methods 950.46 (Forced Air Oven Drying) and 960.39 (Soxhlet Ether Extraction) in raw and processed meat products.

Rapid determination of moisture/solids and fat in dairy products by microwave and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

A peer-verified method is presented for the determination of percent moisture/solids and fat in dairy products by microwave drying and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. The method involves determining the moisture/solids content of dairy samples by microwave drying and using the dried sample to determine the fat content by NMR analysis. Both the submitting and peer laboratories analyzed various dairy products by using a CEM SMART system (moisture) and the SMART Trac (fat). The samples included milks, creams, ice cream mix, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese, and mozzarella, Swiss, and cheddar cheeses. These samples represented a range of products that processors deal with in daily plant operations. The results were compared with moisture/solids and fat values derived from AOAC-approved methods.

Rapid determination of moisture and fat in meats by microwave and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis--PVM 1:2003.

A peer-verified method is presented for the determination of percent moisture and fat in meat products by microwave drying and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. The method involves determining the moisture content of meat samples by microwave drying and using the dried sample to determine the fat content by NMR analysis. Both the submitting and peer laboratories analyzed 5 meat products by using the CEM SMART system (moisture) and the SMART Trac (fat). The samples, which represented a range of products that meat processors deal with daily in plant operations, included the following: (1) fresh ground beef, high-fat; (2) deboned chicken with skin; (3) fresh pork, low-fat; (4) all-beef hot dogs; and (5) National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material. The results were compared with moisture and fat values derived from AOAC-approved methods, 950.46 (Forced Air Oven Drying) and 960.39 (Soxhlet Ether Extraction).