Effectiveness of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence for the quantification of mineral elements in skim milk and whey powders

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Milk and whey are subjected to quick deterioration due to bacterial growth. Turning them into powder allows for extended shelf life, easier storage, and more effective transport. Monitoring mineral elements in dairy powders is crucial for both technological and nutritional implications. Current analysis of minerals in food matrixes is time consuming and requires high costs and labor. Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) may represent a potential alternative technique to rapidly determine mineral content of food matrixes. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the ED-XRF technique for the prediction of Na, Mg, P, S, K, Ca, Cu, and Zn in skim milk and whey powders. Reference analysis for mineral concentration in dairy powders was inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The accuracy of ED-XRF for the prediction of mineral elements was assessed on all available samples (global calibration set; n = 23) and after splitting the whole data into a training set (n = 16) and a testing set (n = 7), comprising 70% and 30% of the available samples, respectively. The accuracy of prediction was moderate to low for Na and Mg, whereas robust predictions were obtained for P, S, K, Ca, Cu, and Zn, with coefficients of determination in global calibration from 0.88 to 0.99, and ratios performance to deviation in testing from 2.14 to 24.74. Results suggest that ED-XRF can be considered for accurate prediction of the main mineral elements in dairy powders.

Keywords

• X-ray
• dairy
• prediction
• accuracy