The use of chemical and infrared methods for analysis of milk and dairy products

INTRODUCTION Accurate food compositional analysis has been a key factor in helping the food industry to improve and standardize both its processes and its products. In dairy products protein and fat are two of the most important compositional elements that must be determined. Traditionally, laboratories have depended on a wide range of chemical analysis techniques to measure the levels of these components. Many of these methods expose laboratory personnel to toxic substances and, subsequently, potential health hazards. More recently, however, a number of rapid and accurate instrumental methods have been gradually introduced which have many advantages compared to older techniques.' A further factor leading to the introduction of such methods is the fact that harmful gases from current analytical methods will no longer be tolerated by international administrative agencies. Finally, the desire to improve the efficiency of food manufacturing processes is also driving the development of instruments which can monitor lev& of food components in-line. Effective process control depends upon inputs from sensors such as pH meters, temperature sensors, flow-meters and conductivity meters which can accurately and reliably track the continuous variation within a material during processing.' Continuous inprocess monitoring is now a fundamental requirement of the modem food industry and has become increasingly important due to the developing interest in computer based automation and manufacturing.