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.