A multi-block data approach to assessing beef quality: ComDim analysis of hyperspectral imaging, 1H NMR, electronic nose and quality parameters data

Several factors affect the quality of beef. In the field of chemometrics, multi-block data analysis methods are useful for examining multiple sources of information from a sample. This study focuses on the application of ComDim, a multi-block data analysis method, to evaluate beef from different parts of hyperspectral spectrum and image texture information, 1H NMR fingerprints, quality parameters and electronic nose. Compared to principal component analysis (PCA) methods based on low-level data fusion, ComDim is more efficient and powerful, because it reveals the relationships between the methods and techniques studied, as well as the variability of beef quality across multiple metrics. The quality and metabolite composition of beef tenderloin and hindquarters were differentiated, with low L* value and high shear tenderloin distinguished from hindquarters with opposite characteristics. The proposed strategy demonstrates that ComDim approach can be used to characterize samples when different techniques describe the same set of samples.