E. Anklam et al., CHARACTERIZATION OF ITALIAN VINEGAR BY PYROLYSIS - MASS-SPECTROMETRY AND A SENSOR DEVICE (ELECTRONIC NOSE), Food chemistry, 61(1-2), 1998, pp. 243-248
Industrially made vinegar 'Aceto Balsamico di Modena' and traditionall
y produced vinegar 'Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena e di Reggio
Emilia' were analysed by means of pyrolysis-mass spectrometry (Py-MS)
and a sensor technique ('electronic nose'). Both methods allow a fast
classification (typically about 5 min). While the 'electronic nose' i
s analysing the volatile compounds of the samples simultaneously with
32 sensors, Py-MS applies thermal decomposition of the samples, subseq
uently analysing the pyrolysate with a mass spectrometer. Both techniq
ues were demonstrated to be capable of discriminating between the two
groups of vinegar. Although the number of samples available for this s
tudy did not seem to be sufficient for detailed analysis, both methods
indicated possible discrimination of the samples within the group of
'Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena' regarding the age of the samp
le. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.