Product

Agrinose (Food Volatile Compound Analyser) is an electronic nose and has been designed and built in the Institute of Agrophysics, PAS, Poland. The device consists of eight metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors, which were selected with the following criteria: lower power consumption, a similar type and geometry of the sensors in the array, low susceptibility to humidity and temperature, and common use of the gas sensors tested in a similar measurement device. The sensors strongly respond to the presence of ketones, fatty acids, esters, and alcohols that can be expected in fungal metabolites in biomaterials.

Current research

An application a new three-parameter method for generation of a smellprint for identification quality of biomaterials VOCs using MOS sensors.

Currently, creation of electronic smellprints of volatile compounds is based on a combination of the maximum response signals from a few or several dozen sensors, i.e. parameter (DR/R)_max in the case of electrochemical sensors. The new three-parameter method for determination of the VOC type developed and filed for patent protection is based on adsorption and desorption phase sensorgrams obtained during measurements and establishment of three measurement points. The method includes the impregnation time (t_IM), cleaning time (t_CL) and maximum responses – (DR/R)_max. An advantage of the new method is the possibility to generate three parameters during a single measurement of VOCs, which can describe an odour more precisely than the single-parameter ((DR/R)_max) approach of the e-nose devices used currently.