Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T00:55:59.983Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The electronic nose: a fast and efficient tool for characterizing dates.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2007

Marc Lebrun ,
Claire Billot ,
Hasnaâ Harrak  and
Guy Self
Marc Lebrun
Affiliation:
CIRAD, Persyst, UMR Qualisud, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
Claire Billot
Affiliation:
CIRAD, Bios, UMR Développement et Adaptation des Plantes, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
Hasnaâ Harrak
Affiliation:
INRA, UR Amélioration des plantes et de la qualité, BP 533, Marrakech 40000, Morocoo
Guy Self
Affiliation:
CIRAD, Persyst, UMR Qualisud, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
Get access

Abstract

Introduction. Aroma is often used as a fruit quality marker. Several researchers have used the analysis of volatile compounds to characterize dates (Phoenix dactylifera). Nevertheless, it is difficult to analyze this subtle aroma in spite of the many techniques available, such as liquid-liquid extractions and headspace analysis. The global approach of the e-nose with a minimum handling of the sample is a fast and efficient alternative to these techniques. This rather new tool, simulating the behavior of the human nose, thus aroused our interest for application to dates. Materials and methods. Dates were harvested, in 2005, at the Tamar stage from nine date varieties, in Zagora, Morocco. They were frozen after harvest and sent by air to the laboratory of CIRAD (Montpellier, France). All data were collected at the same time. Five hundred g of dates were taken at random, pitted and cut into small pieces. After homogenization, an aliquot of 3.0 g was put into a 10-mL headspace flask and immediately sealed. Six replicates per sample were prepared for later electronic-nose analysis. An electronic nose (e-nose) from Alpha MOS, equipped with Metal Oxide Sensors (MOS), was used. Data were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The Discrimination Index (DI), created by Alpha MOS, was used to describe the discriminatory power of the groups’ separation. Alpha MOS considers that good discrimination and reliability are achieved for DI over 80%. Results. Discrimination indexes > 88% and means of the coefficients of variation obtained for each sensor < 4% demonstrate the high performance and good reproducibility of the e-nose. Conclusion. The e-nose is sensitive to date volatile emissions. All the date varieties studied were well separated. This fast screening technique, creating a specific olfactory fingerprint as a genuine identity card, could be used to follow changes in maturity, assure the identity of lots of dates and detect adulteration.

Keywords

MoroccoPhoenix dactyliferafruitsvarietiesvolatile compoundsolfactionmeasuring instrumentsMarocPhoenix dactyliferafruitsvariétécomposé volatilolfactioninstrument de mesure
Type
Research Article
Information
Fruits , Volume 62 , Issue 6 , November 2007 , pp. 377 - 382
Copyright
© CIRAD, EDP Sciences, 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Zirari A., Harrak H., Chetto A., Alaoui Rachidi M., Outlioua K., Réhabilitation de la diversité génétique du palmier dattier dans la palmeraie de Fezouata, Atelier du diagnostic participatif, Proj. RAB98G31 PNUD/FEM/IPGRI/INRA, Gestion participative des ressources génétiques du palmier dattier dans les oasis du Maghreb, 2003, Zagora, Maroc, 96 p.
Ackerman, L.G.J., Torline, P.A., Volatile components in the headspace of eight mango cultivars, Lebensm.-Wiss. Technol. 17 (1984) 339–341.
Adda J., Richard H., Analyse des arômes : préparation des extraits en vue de l'analyse dans les arômes alimentaires, Richard H., Multon J.L. (Eds.), Tec & Doc-Lavoisier, Paris, France, 1992, pp. 258–273.
Zadow, J.G., Supercritical fluid extraction – new technology for the food industry, CSIRO Food Res. Q. 48 (1988) 25–31.
Gelu, R., Les techniques d'extractions par fluides supercritiques appliquées à l'industrie aromatique, Ind. Agro-aliment. 106 (9) (1989) 765–769.
Bicchi, C., Joulain, D., Headspace gas chromatography analysis of medicinal and aromatic plants and flowers, Flavour Fragr. J. 5 (1990) 131–145. CrossRef
Canela, A.M., Muehleisen, H., Application of headspace gas chromatography to the measurement of organic emissions, J. Chromatogr. 456 (1988) 241–249. CrossRef
Jaddou, H., Mhaisen, M.T., Al-Hakim, M., Flavour volatile analysis of Zahdi dates by gas liquid chromatography, Date Palm J. 3 (2) (1984) 367–379.
Reynes, M., Lebrun, M., Shaw, P.E., Identification of volatile date components and use of multivariate analysis to distinguish date varieties, J. Food Qual. 19 (1996) 505–514. CrossRef
Harrak, H., Reynes, M., Lebrun, M., Hamouda, A., Brat, P., Identification et comparaison des composés volatils des fruits de huit variétés de dattes marocaines, Fruits 60 (2005) 267–278. CrossRef
Bartlett, P.N. , Blair, N., Gardner, J.W., Electronic noses. Principles, applications and outlook, Asic 12 (1993) 616–625.
Al-Khalifah, N.S., Askari, E., Molecular phylogeny of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars from Saudi Arabia by DNA fingerprinting, Theor. Appl. Genet. 107 (7) (2003) 1266–1270. CrossRef
Maul, F., Sargent, S., Balaban, M. , Baldwin, E.A., Huberd, J., Luzuriaga, D.A., Non destructive quality screening of tomato fruit using electronic nose technology, Proc. Fla. State Hortic. Soc. 110 (1997) 188–194.
Maul, F., Sargent, S., Balaban, M., Baldwin, E.A., Huber, D.J., Sims, C.A., Aroma volatile profiles from ripe tomatoes are influenced by physiological maturity at harvest: an application for electronic nose technology, J. Am. Soc. Hortic. 123 (1998) 1094–1101.
Maul, F., Sargent, S., Sims, C.A., Balaban, M., Baldwin, E.A., Huber, D.J., Tomato flavour and aroma quality as affected by storage temperature, J. Food Sci. 65 (7) (2000) 1228–1237. CrossRef
Lebrun, M., Ducamp, M.N., Plotto, A., Goodner, K., Baldwin, E., Development of electronic nose measurements for mango (Mangifera indica) homogenate and whole fruit, Proc. Fla. State Hortic. Soc. 117 (2004) 421–425.
Harrak H., Hamouda A., Boujnah M., Gaboune F., Teneurs en sucres et qualités technologiques et nutritionnelles des principales variétés de dattes marocaines, in: Boulanouar B., Kradi C. (Éds.), Symp. Int. Développement agricole durable des systèmes oasiens, INRA, Rabat, Maroc, 2005, pp. 108–115.
Zhu, L., Seburg, R., Tsai, E., Puech, S., Mifsud, J.C., Flavor analysis in a pharmaceutical oral solution formulation using an electronic-nose, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 34 (2004) 453–461. CrossRef