## 4 Conclusions  
The results obtained in this work evidence the potential of NIR spectroscopy, including miniaturized sensors, which can be considered as an alternative to conventional gas chromatographic analysis for the determination of the lipid profile in Iberian ham. The results showed that it was possible to predict, using spectra recorded in both meat and fat, the most abundant fatty acids and their summations. All of them showed RSQ values > 0.7 when using the NIRFlex N-500 benchtop instrument for both the meat and fat spectra recording sites. The Sensor Enterprise gave an RSQ > 0.7 for C18:2 and PUFA prediction using the spectra of fat and for C16:0, C18:1, C18:2, SFAs, and PUFAs using the spectra of meat; the SCIO for C16:0, C18:2, SFAs, MUFAs, and PUFAs for records taken in the fat; the microRNAZIR for C18:1 and MUFAs; and MicroNIR only for PUFAs when using the spectra of meat in both cases. Of the five spectrometers used, the best results were obtained with the use of the benchtop instrument (NIRFlex N-500) because 20 equations with an RSQ > 0.7 were obtained for both the muscle and fat, and it can be considered as a reference for evaluating the analytical performance of portable spectrometers in the examined application. It was shown that portable instruments offer good performance levels as well, indicating full suitability for on-site operation in industry; the Enterprise Sensor (TellSpec), followed by the MicroNIR device, appeared particularly promising, both of which record in the range between ca. 900 and 1700 nm. Thus, for the first device, it was possible to obtain 19 equations (9 with an RSQ < 0.7) in muscle and 14 equations (5 with an RSQ < 0.7) in fat, and for the second, it was possible to obtain 16 equations in muscle and 10 equations in fat, but only one at both recording sites had an RSQ < 0.7. Of the two spectra measurement zones that were considered at the sample surface, it was observed that the highest number of successful regressions and the highest RSQ values were obtained when the spectra were taken on the lean meat. An exception for this trend was observed only for the SCiO sensor, which yielded better results when the spectra were recorded on the fatty part where 12 equations (6 with an RSQ < 0.7) were obtained. These results could be related to the fact that the absorption range of this equipment is located in the water absorption zone, which could make prediction difficult in the case of samples with a higher water content. The results also revealed that measurements performed in both zones delivered complementary information on lipid composition. The preliminary study of feasibility confirms the suitability of employing NIR spectroscopy, and miniaturized sensors in particular, for comprehensive analysis of fatty acids in Iberian ham including on-site application. However, further research is needed; in particular, it would be necessary to improve the statistical basis by increasing the number of samples, including controlled samples that differ in their fatty acid composition to broaden the range of application and improve the precision of the calibrations. This would allow the obtainment of a more robust method for its generalized application in the Iberian pork sector. The following supporting information can be downloaded at [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app142210680/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app142210680/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app142210680/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app142210680/s1)), Table S1: Mathematical pre-treatment for obtaining the best prediction equation for each fatty acid, piece of equipment, and place of recording of the spectra. M.H.-J. : formal analysis, research, visualization, and writing--original draft preparation. I.R. : conceptualization, project management, fundraising, and writing--original draft preparation. A.M.V.-Q. : fundraising, supervision, and writing--review and editing. J.G. : software, validation, and writing--review and editing. K.B.B.