Application of MIR Spectroscopy Combined with Multivariate Analysis for Detection of Adulteration in Commercial Buffalo Ricotta Cheese

The aim was to verify the authenticity of commercial buffalo ricotta cheese samples by means of composition, chemical characteristics, electrophoresis and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometric techniques. Eleven formulations with different proportions of cow whey (CW) and buffalo whey (BW), including samples with 100% CW and 100% BW, were produced and stored for 0, 15, and 30 days. A total of 14 commercial buffalo ricotta cheese samples was collected for authenticity verification. The analyses included composition (fat, protein, moisture, and ash), chemical characteristics (pH and titratable acidity), MIR spectroscopy, and electrophoresis. MIR data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The composition and electrophoresis data did not identify fraud in commercial samples or distinguish between pure and adulterated samples. PCA discriminated samples primarily based on storage time. ANCOVA confirmed the relevance of time in most MIR bands, but the isolated concentration of CW was not significant, indicating the need for additional techniques to detect adulteration.