study aimed at using visible and SW-NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (600–1100 nm) to detect and quan- tify the microbial loads in chicken muscle by using PCA and PLS calibrations. Acceptable prediction results were obtained (R 1⁄4 0Æ91, SEP 1⁄4 0Æ48 log CFU g)1). The use of visible and SW-NIR spectral information and multivariate techniques showed a potential for the detection of the spoilage of poultry rapidly, accurately, and noninvasively. Transformation of the spectra by the second derivatives resolved specific SW-NIR features in 600–1100 nm region to allow PCA to group the samples into different clusters. This methodology can be applied for monitoring the bacterial proliferation in poultry products and may become a powerful tool for monitoring the quality of our food supply. Further work is needed to correlate the visible and SW-NIR method with organoleptic characteristics, as well as the investigation of specific spoilage organisms.