S. Rocha et al., APPLICATION OF AN ELECTRONIC AROMA SENSING SYSTEM TO CORK STOPPER QUALITY-CONTROL, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 46(1), 1998, pp. 145-151
Cork odors were characterized using an electronic aroma sensing system
. The electronic system is a compact, benchtop instrument comprising a
sensor array, signal processing hardware, a measurement algorithm, an
d a pattern classification system. The sensor array responds to the pr
esence of aroma volatile compounds by changes in their electrical prop
erties. Resistance changes are displayed as a histogram, which is a fi
ngerprint of the aroma being analyzed. Five different cork odors were
studied: NE, which is considered as standard cork odor; CO, exhibiting
the pleasant boiled cork odor (it is also considered as a good odor);
PO, corresponding to rotten odor; and B and BO, representing moldy an
d very intensely moldy odors, respectively. This electronic aroma sens
ing system could discriminate quickly and objectively between acceptab
le odor and the unacceptable taint. Characterization and selection of
a subset of sensors were performed. A relation between sensors and spe
cific odors was established. The system, once trained with representat
ive acceptable and unacceptable samples, could be used as a simple qua
lity control tool and incorporated into the normal quality control pro
cedures for each batch of product, by providing real-time analysis of
a sample overall aroma.