POSSIBILITIES OF MASS SPECTROMETRIC QUALITY CONTROL OF DAIRY PRODUCTS ON THE EXAMPLE OF INDUSTRIAL YOGHURTS WITH VARIOUS ADDITIVES

Mass spectrometry is a unique tool for the quality and safety control of food products. In this article, the objects of study were samples of "fresh" and "acceleratedly fermented" samples of yogurts industrially produced by different manufacturers (with various microbiological starters, dairy raw materials, functional food additives, etc.). The qualitative and quantitative composition analysis of the samples was carried out using a small-sized quadrupole gas mass spectrometer MS7-200 with electron impact ionization developed at the IAP RAS. Then, the "intelligent" mathematical processing of the obtained data was carried out (using the method of "principal components", etc.). The work confirmed that mass spectrometric analysis and subsequent mathematical processing of the obtained data using the methods of multivariate statistical analysis can reliably assess the composition and quality of samples of various dairy products, including the materials used for their packaging. In addition, the methods developed by us for preliminary "accelerated fermentation" of the analyzed samples of dairy products, as well as pre-heating of the package before sampling, significantly increase the sensitivity of the analysis. The solutions proposed in this work make it possible to use mass spectrometry as one of the most effective methods for monitoring the composition and quality of dairy products. This method has such advantages as accessibility for wide use, high speed and cost-effectiveness, low requirements for operator qualifications, etc.