Use of chemometrics and mid infrared spectroscopy for the selection of extraction alternatives to reference analytical methods for total fat isolation

Chemometric techniques have been used to compare two methods for fat extraction, namely focused microwave-assisted Soxhlet extraction (FMASE) and dynamic ultrasound-assisted extraction (DUAE), with the conventional Folch method, frequently used as reference. The data generated by a mid infrared spectrometer, after appropriate treatment, provide a simple and effective way for the detection of potential alterations of the fat obtained with the assistance of auxiliary energies, in this case, microwaves and ultrasounds. The results thus obtained are as compared with those from the Folch method, a mild extraction method with a view to finding faster alternatives for routine analysis. Moreover, classification of the samples between cookies and snacks based on extraction kinetics studies was possible, thus demonstrating the importance of these studies for the development of analytical methods. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) were used for both purposes, namely detection of alterations and classification of the samples as a function of their extraction kinetics, while K Nearest Neighbours (KNN) and Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA), based on PCA, models were generated in order both to predict the extraction kinetics of unknown samples, thus adjusting the extraction time as a function of the matrix, and find out explanation to the different extraction kinetics.