{Reference Type}: Journal Article {Title}: Effectiveness of handheld near infrared spectrometer for traceability of Angus steaks. {Author}: León L;Ortiz A;Freire M;Mesías FJ;Tejerina D; {Journal}: Food Chem {Volume}: 455 {Issue}: 0 {Year}: 2024 Oct 15 {Factor}: 9.231 {DOI}: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139958 {Abstract}: The feasibility of Near Infrared Spectroscopy was assessed for aging traceability of steaks of Angus beef (Biceps femoris) individually vacuum-packaged, as well as for the prediction of the refrigeration storage time (0, 7, and 14 days). For this purpose, a total of 288 steaks homogeneously distributed among the sampling times were used. The model developed by Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis offered high discrimination ability between aged beef vs. non-aged. The accuracy after external validation exceeded 90%. Regarding the predictive capacity of the storage time, it was greater on the set of aged samples, in which the accuracy achieved values higher than 96%, while the accuracy decreased to 75% for the non-aged samples. Results obtained support the ability of NIRS technology to be considered in any digital transformation strategy for traceability across the meat supply chain.