Ultra-fast Gas Chromatography Research Articles

Poultry meat freshness evaluation using electronic nose technology and ultra-fast gas chromatography

To ensure that chicken meat products are safe to consume, it is important to be able to reliably determine its shelf-life. To assess the applicability of ultra-fast gas chromatography and electronic nose technology in evaluation of poultry, an analysis of the headspace of ground chicken meat samples refrigerated over a period of 7 days was performed. Chemometric techniques were used to mine additional information from a multiparametric data set. As a reference, sensory evaluation was also conducted, and several volatile chemical compounds that can potentially be used as poultry meat decomposition indicators were identified. The obtained results suggest the possibility of using both techniques to supplement the established methods of chicken meat quality assessment.Graphical abstract

Thermal degradation assessment of canola and olive oil using ultra-fast gas chromatography coupled with chemometrics

Oil blending is often used to enhance the properties of vegetable oils. The admixture of a more thermally stable oil makes the resulting blend more suitable for use in frying. A new method of quality assessment of vegetable oils used in frying is presented in this paper. In this method, ultra-fast gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector and chemometrics is employed. Principal component analysis was used for data processing. The results obtained with this method were compared with the results of the Rancimat test and sensory evaluation. It is demonstrated that the addition of olive oil improves the stability of rapeseed oil, and also changes its flavour and aroma profile. In addition, it was found that ultra-fast GC coupled with chemometrics is an effective tool for the assessment of the quality of edible oils. The proposed method does not require sample preparation, and the total time of analysis is less than 2 min.Graphical abstract

A simple method of the detection of pork spoilage caused by Rahnella aquatilis

This paper describes a simple method focused on detection of roasted pork patties prepared from meat that was spoiled mainly by Rahnella aquatilis. The method includes application of PCR with species-specific primers differentiating R. aquatilis from other meat-spoiling Enterobacteriaceae and an electronic nose (E-nose) based on ultra-fast gas chromatography (UFGC). The volatile compound profile of R. aquatilis after heat treatment was described and compared to the volatile compound profile of minced pork patties that were stored up to 8 days. The results demonstrated that decreased relative content of trimethylamine and propanal in addition to the presence of benzeneacetaldehyde in odour of patties was linked to R. aquatilis – induced product spoilage.

Ultrafast gas chromatography method with direct injection for the quantitative determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes in commercial gasoline.

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes are some of the most hazardous constituents found in commercial gasoline samples; therefore, these components must be monitored to avoid toxicological problems. We propose a new routine method of ultrafast gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization detection for the direct determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes in commercial gasoline. This method is based on external standard calibration to quantify each compound, including the validation step of the study of linearity, detection and quantification limits, precision, and accuracy. The time of analysis was less than 3.2 min, with quantitative statements regarding the separation and quantification of all compounds in commercial gasoline samples. Ultrafast gas chromatography is a promising alternative method to official analytical techniques. Government laboratories could consider using this method for quality control.

Differentiation of chill‐stored and frozen pork necks using electronic nose with ultra‐fast gas chromatography

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the possibility of differentiating chill‐stored and frozen pork necks with a technique of electronic nose (E‐nose) based on ultra‐fast gas chromatography (UFGC). Tests were carried out on pork necks from six pigs obtained from a breeding farm with Pork Quality System (PQS) implemented. The volatile organic compounds (VOC) of the meat samples with 1, 4, and 7 days of chill storage and samples with 5 months of frozen storage were investigated. Principal components analysis (PCA) showed differences in the volatile organic compounds profiles. Discriminant factor analysis (DFA) model was developed to identify the freshness of the meat samples. Results showed that using E‐nose Heracles II allowed effective recognition of chilled and frozen pork meats. Significant differences were found between VOC profiles. In practice, this technique could be applied to the meat industry for a rapid, cheap, and reliable assessment of meat freshness.Practical applicationsInvestigation of methods for differentiation of chill‐stored and frozen pork necks is of significance for quality and safety maintenance. The current study developed a technique of electronic nose (E‐nose) based on ultra‐fast gas chromatography (UFGC) for recognizing the freshness difference of these meat products. Results showed that the technique allowed for effective recognition of chilled and frozen pork meats. In practice, this technique could be applied to the meat industry for a rapid, cheap, and reliable assessment of meat freshness.

Comparison of an Electronic Nose Based on Ultrafast Gas Chromatography, Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography, and Sensory Evaluation for an Analysis of Type of Whisky

Whisky is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages. There are many types of whisky, for example, Scotch, Irish, and American whisky (called bourbon). The whisky market is highly diversified, and, because of this, it is important to have a method which would enable rapid quality evaluation and authentication of the type of whisky. The aim of this work was to compare 3 methods: an electronic nose based on the technology of ultrafast gas chromatography (Fast-GC), comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC), and sensory evaluation. The selected whisky brands included 6 blended whiskies from Scotland, 4 blended whiskies from Ireland, and 4 bourbons produced in the USA. For data analysis, peak heights of chromatograms were used. The panelists who took part in sensory evaluations included 4 women and 4 men. The obtained data were analyzed by 2 chemometric methods: partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and discrimination function analysis (DFA). E-nose and GC × GC allowed for differentiation between whiskies by type. Sensory analysis did not allow for differentiation between whiskies by type, but it allowed giving consumer preferences.

Chromatographic fingerprints supported by artificial neural network for differentiation of fresh and frozen pork

The sale of defrosted meat without reporting the use of frozen storage is a method of food adulteration. The aim of this study was to determine the possibility of differentiating fresh pork neck, loin and ham from frozen pork neck, loin, ham and also from spoiled pork with an electronic nose (E-nose) based on ultra-fast gas chromatography (UFGC) supported by supervised artificial neural network (ANN). The performance of the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) models was applied in this research to check the possibility to classify pork samples in the respective freshness group. The applied ANN was a three-layer (excluding input layer) non-linear perceptron consisting of more than 200 cells and using sigmoidal function and no bias. The ANN was implemented as a C program with automated (batch) learning capability. Tests were carried out on pork meat from pigs obtained from a breeding farm. The chromatographic fingerprint of samples of fresh meat, frozen-thawed meat and spoiled meat were analyzed by the ANN. The study has shown that use of E-nose with the ANN allows to effectively recognize fresh (80%), frozen-then-thawed (85%) and spoiled meat (90%). In practice this technique may be applied to quick, cheap and reliable introduction and rapid recognition of chopped pork and for the differentiation of fresh and frozen pork.

The Verification of the Usefulness of Electronic Nose Based on Ultra-Fast Gas Chromatography and Four Different Chemometric Methods for Rapid Analysis of Spirit Beverages.

Spirit beverages are a diverse group of foodstuffs. They are very often counterfeited which cause the appearance of low quality products or wrongly labelled products on the market. It is important to find a proper quality control and botanical origin method enabling the same time preliminary check of the composition of investigated samples, which was the main goal of this work. For this purpose, the usefulness of electronic nose based on ultra-fast gas chromatography (fast GC e-nose) was verified. A set of 24 samples of raw spirits, 33 samples of vodkas, and 8 samples of whisky were analysed by fast GC e-nose. Four data analysis methods were used. The PCA was applied for the visualization of dataset, observation of the variation inside groups of samples, and selection of variables for the other three statistical methods. The SQC method was utilized to compare the quality of the samples. Both the DFA and SIMCA data analysis methods were used for discrimination of vodka, whisky, and spirits samples. The fast GC e-nose combined with four statistical methods can be used for rapid discrimination of raw spirits, vodkas, and whisky and in the same for preliminary determination of the composition of investigated samples.

Application of ultrafast gas chromatography to recognize odor nuisance

Application of ultrafast gas chromatography to recognize odor nuisance

Application of ultrafast gas chromatography to recognize odor nuisance

Application of ultrafast gas chromatography to recognize odor nuisance

Differentiation Between Spirits According to Their Botanical Origin

Agricultural distillates are used for the production of spirit beverages. As more and more products with a specific botanical composition specified on the label are produced (e.g. rye vodkas, wheat vodkas and Polish Vodka, which cannot be produced with the addition of maize distillate), it is necessary to look for quicker and more accurate methods allowing the determination of botanical origin of alcoholic beverages and materials used to their production. The aim of this study is to verify the usefulness of the electronic nose based on the ultra-fast gas chromatography for quick differentiation between agricultural distillates according to their botanical origin. Nineteen samples included distillates from rye, triticale, wheat and maize were used for the research. For data analysis, the following methods were used: PCA—Principal Component Analysis, DFA—Discriminant Function Analysis, SIMCA classification (SIMCA—Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogies) and SQC—Statistical Quality Control. The use of the electronic nose with ultra-fast gas chromatography and the use of DFA and SIMCA analyses allowed differentiation between agricultural distillates according to their botanical origin.

Fruit Volatile Analysis Using an Electronic Nose

Numerous and diverse physiological changes occur during fruit ripening, including the development of a specific volatile blend that characterizes fruit aroma. Maturity at harvest is one of the key factors influencing the flavor quality of fruits and vegetables1. The validation of robust methods that rapidly assess fruit maturity and aroma quality would allow improved management of advanced breeding programs, production practices and postharvest handling. Over the last three decades, much research has been conducted to develop so-called electronic noses, which are devices able to rapidly detect odors and flavors2-4. Currently there are several commercially available electronic noses able to perform volatile analysis, based on different technologies. The electronic nose used in our work (zNose, EST, Newbury Park, CA, USA), consists of ultra-fast gas chromatography coupled with a surface acoustic wave sensor (UFGC-SAW). This technology has already been tested for its ability to monitor quality of various commodities, including detection of deterioration in apple5; ripeness and rot evaluation in mango6; aroma profiling of thymus species7; C6 volatile compounds in grape berries8; characterization of vegetable oil9 and detection of adulterants in virgin coconut oil10. This system can perform the three major steps of aroma analysis: headspace sampling, separation of volatile compounds, and detection. In about one minute, the output, a chromatogram, is produced and, after a purging cycle, the instrument is ready for further analysis. The results obtained with the zNose can be compared to those of other gas-chromatographic systems by calculation of Kovats Indices (KI). Once the instrument has been tuned with an alkane standard solution, the retention times are automatically converted into KIs. However, slight changes in temperature and flow rate are expected to occur over time, causing retention times to drift. Also, depending on the polarity of the column stationary phase, the reproducibility of KI calculations can vary by several index units11. A series of programs and graphical interfaces were therefore developed to compare calculated KIs among samples in a semi-automated fashion. These programs reduce the time required for chromatogram analysis of large data sets and minimize the potential for misinterpretation of the data when chromatograms are not perfectly aligned.We present a method for rapid volatile compound analysis in fruit. Sample preparation, data acquisition and handling procedures are also discussed.

Fruit Volatile Analysis Using an Electronic Nose

Numerous and diverse physiological changes occur during fruit ripening, including the development of a specific volatile blend that characterizes fruit aroma. Maturity at harvest is one of the key factors influencing the flavor quality of fruits and vegetables1. The validation of robust methods that rapidly assess fruit maturity and aroma quality would allow improved management of advanced breeding programs, production practices and postharvest handling. Over the last three decades, much research has been conducted to develop so-called electronic noses, which are devices able to rapidly detect odors and flavors2-4. Currently there are several commercially available electronic noses able to perform volatile analysis, based on different technologies. The electronic nose used in our work (zNose, EST, Newbury Park, CA, USA), consists of ultra-fast gas chromatography coupled with a surface acoustic wave sensor (UFGC-SAW). This technology has already been tested for its ability to monitor quality of various commodities, including detection of deterioration in apple5; ripeness and rot evaluation in mango6; aroma profiling of thymus species7; C6 volatile compounds in grape berries8; characterization of vegetable oil9 and detection of adulterants in virgin coconut oil10. This system can perform the three major steps of aroma analysis: headspace sampling, separation of volatile compounds, and detection. In about one minute, the output, a chromatogram, is produced and, after a purging cycle, the instrument is ready for further analysis. The results obtained with the zNose can be compared to those of other gas-chromatographic systems by calculation of Kovats Indices (KI). Once the instrument has been tuned with an alkane standard solution, the retention times are automatically converted into KIs. However, slight changes in temperature and flow rate are expected to occur over time, causing retention times to drift. Also, depending on the polarity of the column stationary phase, the reproducibility of KI calculations can vary by several index units11. A series of programs and graphical interfaces were therefore developed to compare calculated KIs among samples in a semi-automated fashion. These programs reduce the time required for chromatogram analysis of large data sets and minimize the potential for misinterpretation of the data when chromatograms are not perfectly aligned. We present a method for rapid volatile compound analysis in fruit. Sample preparation, data acquisition and handling procedures are also discussed.

Volatile Compound Fingerprinting of Mixed-Culture Fermentations

With the advent of the -omics era, classical technology platforms, such as hyphenated mass spectrometry, are currently undergoing a transformation toward high-throughput application. These novel platforms yield highly detailed metabolite profiles in large numbers of samples. Such profiles can be used as fingerprints for the accurate identification and classification of samples as well as for the study of effects of experimental conditions on the concentrations of specific metabolites. Challenges for the application of these methods lie in the acquisition of high-quality data, data normalization, and data mining. Here, a high-throughput fingerprinting approach based on analysis of headspace volatiles using ultrafast gas chromatography coupled to time of flight mass spectrometry (ultrafast GC/TOF-MS) was developed and evaluated for classification and screening purposes in food fermentation. GC-MS mass spectra of headspace samples of milk fermented by different mixed cultures of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were collected and preprocessed in MetAlign, a dedicated software package for the preprocessing and comparison of liquid chromatography (LC)-MS and GC-MS data. The Random Forest algorithm was used to detect mass peaks that discriminated combinations of species or strains used in fermentations. Many of these mass peaks originated from key flavor compounds, indicating that the presence or absence of individual strains or combinations of strains significantly influenced the concentrations of these components. We demonstrate that the approach can be used for purposes like the selection of strains from collections based on flavor characteristics and the screening of (mixed) cultures for the presence or absence of strains. In addition, we show that strain-specific flavor characteristics can be traced back to genetic markers when comparative genome hybridization (CGH) data are available.

Gas chromatography for detection of citrus infestation by fruit fly larvae (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Tephritid fruit flies are serious economic pests worldwide. As larvae, they feed and develop within the pulp of host fruits, making infestation difficult to detect by visual inspection. At U.S. ports of entry, incoming produce shipments are checked for infestation by manually cutting open a small sample of fruit and searching for tephritid larvae. Consequently, there is a need for more sensitive, high-throughput screening methods. This study evaluated gas chromatography (GC) as a potential technology for improved detection of hidden infestation. Grapefruits ( Citrus × paradisi Macfad.) infested with immature stages of the Caribbean fruit fly Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) were examined to determine if infested fruit emitted a chemical profile distinct from that of non-infested fruit. Peaks identified by GC analysis were grouped into three classes. Chemicals detected in similar quantities in all samples, or slightly elevated in infested samples, were regarded as non-diagnostic background volatiles. Chemicals highly elevated after oviposition, during the last instar exit stage, and in experimentally-pierced fruit were interpreted to be indicators of citrus peel injury, and included d-limonene and β-ocimene. Chemicals elevated exclusively in the larval infestation stages were considered indicators of feeding damage and potentially diagnostic of infestation, and included hexyl butanoate and an unidentified compound. The peaks associated with injury and feeding were also detectable with a portable ultra-fast GC analyzer that required less than 80 s per sample. Further studies will investigate the potential application of these results for development of a rapid, non-destructive screening method for detection of tephritid infestation.

Nanoelectromechanical Resonator Arrays for Ultrafast, Gas-Phase Chromatographic Chemical Analysis

Miniaturized gas chromatography (GC) systems can provide fast, quantitative analysis of chemical vapors in an ultrasmall package. We describe a chemical sensor technology based on resonant nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) mass detectors that provides the speed, sensitivity, specificity, and size required by the microscale GC paradigm. Such NEMS sensors have demonstrated detection of subparts per billion (ppb) concentrations of a phosphonate analyte. By combining two channels of NEMS detection with an ultrafast GC front-end, chromatographic analysis of 13 chemicals was performed within a 5 s time window.

Pig meat quality from entire males

This paper constitutes an updated review of the production and meat quality aspects of rearing entire male pigs. Since a major obstacle in rearing entire males is the incidence of boar taint, possible methods for detection are also summarised. Safe and fast methods for detection of boar taint would be valuable in avoiding complaints from consumers. Pig meat quality is determined by many aspects, among which odour and taste are the most important attributes. Odour may be negatively affected by the presence of a pheromonal steroid, androstenone, and a fermentation product of l-tryptophan, skatole. Male pigs are surgically castrated in many countries to minimise the risk of accumulation of high levels of androstenone and skatole. Raising entire male pigs is more profitable because they have superior production characteristics and improved meat quality due to leaner carcasses and higher protein content, as compared to castrated pigs. Furthermore, surgical castration is negative from an animal welfare point of view. In most studies, no differences in sensory quality have been found between lean meat from entire male pigs with low levels of androstenone and skatole and pork from castrates and females. The question that remains is: which substances are responsible for boar taint besides androstenone and skatole and whether they need to be considered? The threshold values used for androstenone and skatole might also be too high for highly sensitive persons. Recent research shows that a human odorant receptor, ORD7D4, is involved in sensitivity to androstenone. If the ORD7D4 genotypes of consumer and expert panels are known, this might facilitate consumer studies in the future. There is still a great need for rapid on/at-line detection methods in abattoirs for identifying carcasses with unacceptable levels of boar taint compounds. Several emerging rapid technologies with a potential for boar taint detection have been investigated. They represent various measurement principles such as chemical sensor arrays (electronic noses), mass-spectrometry fingerprinting, ultra-fast gas chromatography, gas-phase spectrometry and biosensors. An industrial detection method should allow 100% correct classification of both acceptable and not-acceptable samples with regard to boar taint sorting criteria. There are, however, still too high a percentage of false negatives ranging from 5% to 20%. In addition, these methods do not yet seem to fulfil the industrial specifications with regard to cost efficiency, simplicity and analysis time. There is still no dedicated measurement technology available for on/at-line detection of boar-tainted carcasses that measures both androstenone and skatole.

Ultrafast Gas Chromatography on Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Stationary Phases in Microfabricated Channels

The key to rapid temperature programmed separations with gas chromatography are a fast, low-volume injection and a short microbore separation column with fast resistive heating. One of the major problems with the reduction of column dimensions for micro gas chromatography is the availability of a stationary phase that provides good separation performance. In this report, we present the first integration of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as a stationary phase into 100 mum x 100 mum square and 50-cm-long microfabricated channels. The small size of this column with integrated resistive heater and the robustness of the SWNT phase allow for fast temperature programming of up to 60 degrees C/s. A combination of the fast temperature programming and the narrow peak width of small-volume injections that can be obtained from a high-speed, dual-valve injection system allows for rapid separations of gas mixtures. We demonstrate highly reproducible separations of four-compound test mixtures on these columns in less than 1 s using fast temperature programming.

Ultrafast gas chromatography using time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometric analyses typically require several tens of minutes to run. In a laboratory requiring high sample throughput there is an obvious benefit to being able to significantly reduce run times. Shorter run times can be realised using one or more of a number of techniques, depending on the analytical objectives. Whether the shortened run has very narrow peaks with good separation or wider peaks with compromised separation, the ability to produce mass spectra at a high rate offers advantages. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.