Spectroscopic techniques (NMR, infrared and fluorescence) for the determination of lipid composition and structure in dairy products

Abstract

Simple and rapid spectroscopic methods, such as front-face fluorescence, attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies, have a great potential for investigation of the structure of fats in dairy products and of the relation between structure and texture. Although Xuorescence, infrared and NMR spectroscopies are techniques, the theory and methodology of which have been exploited extensively in studies in both chemistry and biochemistry, the usefulness of these spectroscopies for molecular studies has not been yet fully recognized in food science. Fluorescence, infrared and NMR spectroscopies coupled with chemometry should be equally well suited to address the molecular structure of food products and the relations between structure and texture of dairy products. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.