What happens at the aroma of coffee beans after roasting?

The coffee aroma is one of the most important quality evaluation criteria employed for coffee commercialization and consumption. The purpose of this study was following the roasting process VOCs creations with the novel Electronic Nose equipped whit 2 of 6 MOX nanowire sensors. The nanowires exhibit exceptional crystalline quality and a very high length-to-width ratio, resulting in enhanced sensing capability as well as long-term material stability for prolonged operation. Four different methods of roasting, made by ROSTAMATIC (Table 1) machine, were applied to gain a clearer picture of the differences in roasted coffee aromas by means of a volatile compound analysis. Different methods applied on four different origins of green coffee (India, Indonesia, Honduras, Santos and Nicaragua). The commercial coffees products are made from a blending from minimum five different kinds of coffee and the consumers have developed an addiction/expectation to a specific flavor and taste. Different methods of roasting process will provide the coffee different aroma that will add flexibility to those one that already posses the matrix due to different origins. This work tests and illustrates the broad spectrum of potential uses of the EN technique in food quality control

A new approach to evaluate vinegars quality: application of Small Sensor System (S3) device coupled with enfleurage

In this work is illustrated the application of S3 (Small Sensor System) device, equipped with an array of six metal oxide semiconductor (MOX) gas sensors, coupled with enfleurage as new approach to characterize the aromatic profile of Balsamic Vinegars (BVs). Thanks to the enfleurage in fact, the lipophilic volatile compounds are extracted from balsamic vinegar while acetic acid and its derivatives whose high concentration negatively influences MOX sensors sensitivity are not involved in the process. The obtained results show the huge potentiality of this new approach to evaluate BVs quality. All the samples were analyzed in parallel by GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) with SPME (Solid Phase Micro-Extraction). (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V

Detection of microbial contamination in potable water by Nanowire technology

It is well known that the lack of control and sanitation of water in developing countries has cause very significant epidemiological events. In the last decades the situation of water supplies and sanitation has improve all over the world. Despite of it, in the European Union there are a considerable number of confirmed cases of water-borne infections even though the restrictive law. Electronic Noses (ENs) has shown to be a very effective and fast tool for monitoring microbiological spoilage and quality control. The aim of this study was test the ability of a novel EN for the detection of bacterial presence in potable water in cooperation with analytical (pH) and optical (photometer) techniques. The achieved results notably advocate the use of EN in industry laboratories as a very important tool in water quality control

Electronic nose for the early detection of different types of indigenous mold contamination in green coffee

In the last few years Electronic Noses (ENs) have been revealed to be a very effective and fast tool for monitoring the microbiological spoilage and food quality control. European regulations report the maximum concentration of mycotoxins permitted in green coffee beans. The aim of this study was to test the ability of a novel EN, equipped with an array of MOX gas sensors based on thin films as well as nanowires, to early detect mold contaminations from Aspergillus spp., in cooperation with classical microbiological and chemical techniques like Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectroscopy with SPME technique. In general the selection of the green coffee is controlled by visual inspection of shape, color and size. However, this process in often not enough to prevent the entrance in the food chains of contaminated products. We have demonstrated that the novel EN is able to early detect the qualitative and quantitative differences between contaminate and uncontaminated samples. Achieved results vividly recommend the use of our EN as a quality control tool in coffee producer industr

Nanowire technology to Asses the bacterial presence in water and other food stuff

It has been broadly documented the presence of bacteria, yeast and mold in food processing like fermentations, ripening and also spoiling. The early detection of the contamination is critical to preserve the consumer’s health and to avoid economic losses for the industry. The aim of this work was the establish a new fouling based on the cooperation between the use of a novel EN and classical techniques, like GC-MS coupled with classical microbiology, for the detection of bacterial presence in water and other foodstuff

Nanowire device (S3) to characterize the genuine aroma of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Parmigiano Reggiano (PR) is a much-appreciated cheese all over the world although it is produced in a little region in the northeast part of Italy from raw bovine milk

Detection of microorganisms in water and different food matrix by Electronic Nose

In the food matrix are involved very elemental products like water to other more complex like, for example, processed and non processed, vegetables and dairy products. All these matrix pass very restrictive controls and a intensive monitoring during the processing time to evaluate their safety and quality. The early detection of the contamination is critical to preserve the consumer's health and to avoid economic losses for the industry. On the other hand, microorganisms are part of a wide range and significant managing process, like fermentations used since ancient times and applied to many different matrix. One of this group of microorganism are Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) that play a different role, fermentative or contaminant, depending on the matrix where are founded. Electronic Noses (ENs) has shown to be a very effective and fast tool for monitoring microbiological spoilage and food quality control. The ability of this instrument can also be used for the selection of the most appropriate species or strains for a determinate purpose. The aim of this study was essay the ability of a novel EN for the detection of bacterial presence in water and other foodstuff in cooperation with classical microbiological and chemical techniques like Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry with SPME (GC-MS-SPME). The achieved results notably advocate the use of EN in industry laboratories like a very important tool in quality contro

Fast Identification of Microbiological Contamination in Vegetable Soup by Electronic Nose

Microbial contamination, either before or during food production phases, is one of the major concerns of food manufacturers. In this work we present the EOS507C Electronic Nose (EN) for early screening of Enterobacter hormaechei type strain (ATCC 49162) contamination in vegetable soup. The EOS507C, based on an array of metal oxide semiconductor (MOX) sensors, is a rather innovative system equipped with dynamic headspace autosampler and new functionalities such as real-time sample humidity compensation, sensor response linearization and automated periodic calibration. The EOS507C has provided excellent results in terms of screening capabilities: E.hormaechei contamination was detected in 24 hours

Detection of food and skin pathogen microbiota by means of an electronic nose based on metal oxide chemiresistors

This work illustrates the potentiality of a mixed array merging the Nanowire and thin film metal oxide technologies to develop an electronic nose as a tool to monitor the human skin and food pathogen microbiota. Nanowire and thin film sensors have been fabricated, characterized and then integrated together to develop a hybrid device that can enhance the sensing performance. Different blends of microorganisms grown in artificial sweat have been tested. Classical techniques, like GC\u2013MS (Gas Chromatography\u2013Mass Spectrometry) with SPME (Solid Phase Micro Extraction) have been employed in parallel, in order to have a multidisciplinary approach and a consistent data set. The obtained results show the potentiality of the proposed electronic nose to discriminate between the different blends of microorganisms and to follow up microbiota growth inside the blends