NIR Spectroscopy Assessment of Quality Index of Fermented Milk (Laban) Drink Flavored with Date Syrup during Cold Storage

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The present study entitled ”NIR spectroscopy assessment of quality index of fermented 2 milk (Laban) drink flavored with date syrup during cold stor-3 age” attempts to provide further insight on the properties of the fermented milk drink fortified with date syrup through the development of a quality index model. NIR spectroscopy assessment, physical and sensory analysis were performed.

I believe that the Introduction concisely sets up the following sections of the manuscript, including the objectives of the study, but the references should be updated with more research articles from the last five years.

In the materials and methods part, it is not clear how many days of analysis were made, the author should describe in more detail the “Sample preparation” part.

In the Results and Discussion part the author mentions the shelf-life of the fermented milk drinks, thus I recommend conducting some microbiological analysis to see if the date syrup addition has any effect on the samples. The author could discuss and elaborate more on how the addition of the date syrup in different concentrations affected the sensory evaluation attributes.

The conclusions are well structured and reflect the results of the present study. The author could improve the conclusions by referring to all the analysis made in the research article.

Author Response

Thanks for your valuable review. My comments to the points as follows:

Point 1. 

I believe that the Introduction concisely sets up the following sections of the manuscript, including the objectives of the study, but the references should be updated with more research articles from the last five years.

Answer 1. Several relevant and most recent references were added to the introduction section (one paragraph wih about 5 articles 2021-2022.

P2. :

In the materials and methods part, it is not clear how many days of analysis were made, the author should describe in more detail the “Sample preparation” part.

A2. It was 7 days. More details were added in the sample preparation section.

P3. :

In the Results and Discussion part the author mentions the shelf-life of the fermented milk drinks, thus I recommend conducting some microbiological analysis to see if the date syrup addition has any effect on the samples. The author could discuss and elaborate more on how the addition of the date syrup in different concentrations affected the sensory evaluation attributes.

A3. The addition of the date syrup in different concentrations affected the sensory evaluation attributes in taste and sweetness as elaborated in the results section.

Some microbiological analysis were summarized in the results section. More details analysis and data of the whole microbial work can be found in the reference:  alhamdan et al., 2021. 

P4.

The conclusions are well structured and reflect the results of the present study. The author could improve the conclusions by referring to all the analysis made in the research article.

A4. 

Name of analysis tools (ANN and PLSR) were added to the conclusion.

Review Report Form:

Points for the evaluation sheets were considered in the revised manuscript including language, and checking and updating all references.

Attached, the revised manuscript in WORD format with track of changes mode) 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

In this paper , author studied regarding " NIR spectroscopy assessment of quality index of fermented milk (Laban) drink flavored with date syrup during cold storage". The overall manuscript is well structured and the contents are good. Thus, the paper can provide some useful information for the peers and it is scope of Journal. However, The following specific comments should be addressed before acceptance the paper.

1. Line 128, why choose 5 ℃ as the cold storage temperature? Do other cold storage temperatures have any effect on the quality of Laban drink?

2. Line 211, Please delete the extra space.  

3. The format of the references should be modified and revised. Please carefully check the whole references and make corresponding corrections.

Best Regards

Author Response

Thanks for your valuable review. My comments to the points as follows:

Point 1. 

Line 128, why choose 5 ℃ as the cold storage temperature? Do other cold storage temperatures have any effect on the quality of Laban drink?

Answer 1. The temperature of 5 C is to simulate refrigeration temperature during transportation and at marker shelves. It was added in the sample preparation section. For other temperatures (above 5 C) it is expected the quality of Laban milk will deteriorate more rapidly; and vice versa. 

P2. 

Line 211, Please delete the extra space.  

Q2. Already deleted as well as checked for the whole text.

P3.

The format of the references should be modified and revised. Please carefully check the whole references and make corresponding corrections.

A3. All references were checked carefully and corrected accordingly. Extra literature review were added as well as their corresponding references.

Review Report Form:
Points for the evaluation sheets were considered in the revised manuscript including language, and checking and updating all references.
Attached, the revised manuscript in WORD format with track of changes mode).

Thanks again for your valuable contribution to this manuscript.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf