Rapid determination of moisture/solids and fat in dairy products by microwave and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis

A peer-verified method is presented for the determination of percent moisture/solids and fat in dairy products by microwave drying and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. The method involves determining the moisture/solids content of dairy samples by microwave drying and using the dried sample to determine the fat content by NMR analysis. Both the submitting and peer laboratories analyzed various dairy products by using a CEM SMART system (moisture) and the SMART Trac (fat). The samples included milks, creams, ice cream mix, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese, and mozzarella, Swiss, and cheddar cheeses. These samples represented a range of products that processors deal with in daily plant operations. The results were compared with moisture/solids and fat values derived from AOAC-approved methods.