Cereal Industry: e-Nose for Real Time and Online Quality and Safety Control and Management

• Main Authors: Federica CHELI, Luciano PINOTTI, Matteo OTTOBONI, Marco TRETOLA, Vittorio DELL’ORTO
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IFSA Publishing, S.L. 2016-06-01
• Series: Sensors & Transducers
• Subjects: Cereals; Food safety; Mycotoxins; Electronic nose.
• Online Access: http://www.sensorsportal.com/HTML/DIGEST/june_2016/Vol_201/P_2831.pdf

In the cereal industry, the on-site safety and quality of products and by- products need to be continuously monitored. At the industrial level, the main question is the choice of the best analytical method for a practical purpose enabling “decision-making” regarding the acceptance or rejection of a lot and the insurance of quality standards. Regular, economical, straightforward cereal tests with regard to a rapid and accurate diagnosis of food quality and safety are needed. The objective of this idea is to set up an electronic nose (e-nose) for the safety and quality evaluation of cereal products and by-products, focusing on mycotoxin contamination. The final goal is to evaluate the potential application of the e-nose technology as an on-line continuous monitoring and controlling tool in cereal processing, in particular wheat milling. E-nose could be integrated with other on-line analysis devices in a technological platform for monitoring and controlling food quality. Multi-sensor-devices and multi-sensor- data-fusion technology have a great potential value to the food industry to ensure that cereal products and by-products meet specifications according to their specific use.