LAUSR

The aim of this study was to investigate whether FTIR spectroscopy is an accurate and valid technique for the assessment of quality parameters in raw cow's milk: fat, protein, lactose, and total solids. The assessment was based on calibration series and comparison with reference material. Furthermore, it takes into account the results obtained in the inter-laboratory comparisons (proficiency testing). The calibration samples were purchased from the accredited regional reference laboratories. The validation parameters included linearity, accuracy, repeatability, reproducibility, and robustness. The linearity ratio was 0.95%. The biases calculated for the fat, protein, lactose and dry matter were -0.33, 0.31, -0.25, and 0.06 respectively. The F value from the F-test was used to determine the significant differences between two independent sets of the results. The obtained results were as follows: 1.469 for fat, 1.634 for protein, 1.192 for lactose, and 0.528 for dry matter. The intra-laboratory reproducibility calculated as the Horwitz Ratios for all parameters were within the criterion limits (0.5 to 0.8). The data obtained for carry-over were 0.27% for fat, 0.52% for protein, 0.47% for lactose, and 0.47% for dry matter. Based on the obtained results it can be concluded that the FTIR spectroscopy is a reliable instrumental technique for the determination of fat, protein, lactose and total solids in raw cow's milk.