Abstract
A sensor based on the technique of a piezoelectric quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is analyzed for the detection of six organic volatile compounds with high olive oil sensory significance, such as hexanal, acetic acid, Z-3-hexenyl acetate, undecane, 1-octen-3-ol and 2-butanone. Four sample concentrations have been exposed to each QCM sensor constructed. The detection system is based on the sample adsorption on the forty sensing films coated at the surfaces of forty AT-cut gold-coated quartz crystals. Each sensing film has been prepared with different solution concentrations of ten materials, usually used as chromatographic sta-tionary phases. Sensing film coating process shows excellent repeatability, with coefficient values less than 0.50%. The frequency shifts of the piezoelectric crystals due to the adsorption of the volatile compounds have been measured as sensor responses, using a static measurement system. The results show that only five QCM sensors, with high sensitivity values, are enough to the detection of the volatile compounds studied. Therefore, the developed detection system presented herein provides a rapid identification of organic volatile compounds with elevated olive oil sensory connotation and it could be a substitute technique to the analytical methods normally used for the analysis of the olive oil flavor.
Highlights
Sensory evaluation of virgin olive oil is standardized by a European Union regulation [1] and trade standards of the International Olive Oil Council [2]
The results show that only five quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors, with high sensitivity values, are enough to the detection of the volatile compounds studied
The developed detection system presented provides a rapid identification of organic volatile compounds with elevated olive oil sensory connotation and it could be a substitute technique to the analytical methods normally used for the analysis of the olive oil flavor
Summary
Sensory evaluation of virgin olive oil is standardized by a European Union regulation [1] and trade standards of the International Olive Oil Council [2]. The panel test must follow the International Olive Oil Council’s manual on the selection, training and monitoring of qualified virgin oil tasters [2]. According to this manual, it is recommended that a taster evaluates twelve samples by day, divided in three sessions, to avoid the exhaustion of the senses of smell and taste. We have studied the potential of an artificial olfactory system, constituted by quartz crystal microbalance sensors, to detect organic volatile compounds with a high olive oil sensory significance, as an alternative to the difficult and time-consuming analytical methods described previously. Ten chromatographic stationary phases were coated onto forty quartz crystal surfaces as sensing films, to study and select those who best respond and discriminate six organic volatile compounds responsible of different sensorial attributes of olive oil flavor
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