Mid-infrared (MIR) Spectroscopy for Quality Analysis of Liquid Foods

Liquid foods play important roles in the development of human culture due to their own peculiarities. Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy combines several advantages such as non-invasive operation and high-efficiency detection and is thus proposed to be a prospective alternative to conventional techniques for food quality assessment. However, no reviews on MIR spectroscopic analysis of liquid food products are reported. This review summarizes the recent research progress of MIR chemical sensing methods for determinations of the authenticity and related quality attributes of liquid foods (such as milk, edible oils, alcoholic beverages, honeys, and vegetable and fruit juices). The characteristics and applications of MIR spectroscopic technique in tandem with chemometrics, along with the major challenges and future prospects, are discussed. MIR spectroscopy has great potential to fulfill the need of food industry for quality and authenticity analysis of liquid foods. Nevertheless, further measurements and analyses based on the existing results of food inspection are still required. It is believed that this review will be an effective signpost for scholars in related research fields to study the comprehensive quality of liquid food products.