Sampling and Sample Preparation\rFood Analysis

Abstract

Quality attributes in food products, raw materials, or ingredients are measurable characteristics that need monitoring to ensure that specifications are met. Some quality attributes can be measured online by using specially designed sensors and results obtained in real time (e.g., color of vegetable oil in an oil extraction plant). However, in most cases quality attributes are measured on small portions of material that are taken periodically from continuous processes or on a certain number of small portions taken from a lot. The small portions taken for analysis are referred to as samples , and the entire lot or the entire production for a certain period of time, in the case of continuous processes, is called a population . The process of taking samples from a population is called sampling . If the procedure is done correctly, the measurable characteristics obtained for the samples become a very accurate estimation of the population.