Artificial intelligence-based modeling of novel non-thermal milk pasteurization to achieve desirable color and predict quality parameters during storage

This study proposed using color components as artificial intelligence (AI) input to predict milk moisture and fat contents. In this sense, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was applied to milk processed by moderate electrical field-based non-thermal (NP) and conventional pasteurization (CP). The differences between predicted and experimental data were not significant (p > 0.05) for lightness (L*), redness-greenness (a*), yellowness-blueness (b*), total color differences (∆E), hue angle (h), chroma (C), whiteness (WI), yellowness (YI), and browning index (BI). ANFIS well-predicted milk fat and moisture content using quadratic and two-factor interaction models with mean errors of .00858–.01260 and correlation coefficient of .8051–.8205. Stability tests showed L* and WI reduced while a*, b*, ΔE, h, C, YI, and BI increased during the storage. NP milk had 77.21% higher half-life than CP, as predicted by ANFIS modeling. Findings indicated milk quality characteristics could be estimated based on physical parameters (e.g., color components), contributing to sustainable food production.

Practical applications

The findings offer practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) as an innovative monitoring and prediction technique to enhance food quality and sustainability. The proposed methodology makes the real-time prediction of milk quality feasible by leveraging AI and physical parameters. An adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) accurately predicts moisture and fat contents according to color values, facilitating quality assessment. Stability tests during cold storage provide insights into milk quality changes over time, aiding in determining key parameters in predictive modeling. The proposed approach was found to be applicable to both conventional and non-thermal pasteurized milk. This study also provides a step-by-step protocol, facilitating the implementation of emerging technologies in the food industry.