Suitability of FTIR to distinguish pure cultures of problematic mould species from closely related species in the meat industry

Sammendrag

Aims: The aim of the study was to apply Fourier Transform Infrared
spectroscopy (FTIR) as a rapid screening method for moulds in a specific food
production environment (cured meat) and to evaluate whether the method
was sufficiently accurate to distinguish Penicillium species that constitute a
hazard for the food quality and safety (Penicillium solitum and Penicillium
nordicum) from closely related species.
Methods and Results: FTIR was applied to classify the indigenous mycobiota
of two production sites for dried and cured meat products in Norway. Results
showed that FTIR was suitable to analyse large amounts of data. While correct
classification rates varied depending on the species, overall results indicated
that FTIR was able to distinguish the undesired mould species P. solitum and
P. nordicum from other species and may hence present an option for rapid
screening of large numbers of samples to identify changes in mould
composition on site.
Conclusions: FTIR presents a potential method for detecting changes in levels
of undesired fungi in meat-processing environments.
Significance and Impact of the study: This is the first study that applies FTIR
to a specific food production environment and it increases the knowledge on
both possibilities and limitations of the method in classification of fungi.

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DOI : doi.org/10.1111/jam.15091
NVA : hdl.handle.net/11250/2976169