Aquaphotomics and NIR water spectral patterns in dairy production: a review exploring potentials and challenges

• Published in: Journal of dairy research Vol. 91; no. 3; pp. 249 - 261
• Main Authors: Giovinazzo, Simone, Brambilla, Massimo, Cattaneo, Tiziana Maria Piera, Lazzari, Andrea, Bisaglia, Carlo, Muncan, Jelena, Tsenkova, Roumiana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Amino acids; Animal health; Animal production; Animal welfare; Biological properties; Biomarkers; Carbohydrates; Chemical bonds; Dairy industry; Economics; Farming; Hydration; Hydrogen bonding; Hydrogen bonds; Information processing; Invited Review; Lactose; Milk; Molecular structure; Oxygen; Pattern analysis; Perturbation; Precision agriculture; Proteins; Radiation; Spectral analysis; Spectroscopy; Spectrum analysis; Water; early diagnosis; Animal welfare; water structure; NIR spectroscopy; milk composition
• ISSN: 0022-0299; 1469-7629
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022029924000608

This review describes the potentials of a new omics science in the dairy sector, particularly regarding the improvement of animal health and welfare. The three-dimensional network of water hydrogen bonds is a dynamic entity, subject to the influence of its components and properties of the environment. For this reason, it is sensitive to any chemical, physical or biological perturbation of the system. Therefore, the aqueous matrix acts as a sensitive sensor, reflecting the state, behaviour, and functionality of the system and providing similar information on its components. Aquaphotomics builds upon these underlying assumptions. It is a scientific discipline that combines spectroscopy with multivariate spectral analysis to extract the absorbance spectral pattern of water, which describes how water molecular structure changes in response to perturbations. Many studies assessed the applicability of this approach, including veterinary diagnostics. The water spectral pattern can be used as a multidimensional biomarker for rapid and non-invasive discrimination between healthy and diseased systems, even in the subclinical phase. Adopting such an approach, focused on precision farming, can foster subsequent optimisation of animal production performance and improve the overall profitability of farming operations.