Prediction of the chemical composition of freeze dried ostrich meat with near infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to predict the chemical composition of freeze-dried ostrich meat samples. Tenderloin (M. ambiens), big drum (M. iliofibularis) and fan fillet (M. gastrocnemius) samples (n=160) were included in the study. Samples were minced, freeze-dried and analysed according to standard laboratory procedures for ash, dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and fat content. Samples were scanned (1100-2500 nm) and partial least-square regression (PLSR) was used to predict the chemical composition. Multiple correlation coefficients (r) and standard errors of calibration (SEC) for the chemical analysis of freeze-dried ostrich meat were: ash (0.72; 0.29%); DM (0.72; 1.01%); CP (0.98; 0.55%); and fat (0.99; 0.29%). The r values for the validation set and the standard error of performance (SEP) for the different constituents were: ash (0.71; 0.23%); DM (0.84; 0.72%); CP (0.97; 0.64%); and fat (0.99; 0.18%). Calibrations were accurate for CP and fat.