Using NIRS to determine shelf life

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a solution that enables the fast screening of bakery products.

Food technologists use water activity to formulate products that are shelf stable. Below certain values, mould growth is inhibited, resulting in a longer shelf life. Ethanol, an approved food additive, is used as a flavour carrier and to enhance the shelf life of bakery products.

As part of a feasibility study, Barilla tested NIRS from BUCHI as a screening technology to quickly measure total moisture, water activity and ethanol content. These parameters were selected as indicators of shelf stability for bakery products such as industrial breads, cakes, mini cakes and snacks.

Positive results from the feasibility study led Barilla Bakery plants in both Italy and France to develop dedicated NIRS calibrations. This robust method is now used as an internal screening method for routine daily analysis.

Another molecule which occurs most commonly as cellulose in plants, the bran of cereal grains or the cell wall of baker's yeast is β-Glucan. Barilla Central Labs evaluated the possibility of using NIRS from BUCHI as a fast technology to quantify β-Glucan content. The final results obtained indicated that NIRS can be used successfully to quantify the content of β-Glucans in the premixes used for industrial bakery productions, as long as the moisture content variation is taken into account. Some Italian bakery plants of the Barilla Group have started to use NIRS as a routine screening tool for β-Glucan content.

The BUCHI NIR system can also simultaneously measure protein, fat, ash, starch and fibre.