Ongoing challenges facing the food industry include the development of new technologies dedicated to on-line sensors that can detect aromas, external and internal quality factors and predict quality changes in foods.
A European-funded research project, based at the Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon in Paris and led by Professor Douglas Neil Rutledge was set up to rise to the challenge and to develop, extend and valorise instrumental methods to determine the consumer-perceived quality factors of agro-food products.
The scientists used a variety of instrumental techniques to include: vision techniques in the ultraviolet, visible and infra-red domains; imaging techniques such as NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), ultrasonic, or microwave tomography; and artificial noses.
Results of the research reveal that the food industry could soon witness: a newly developed and low-cost electronic olfractometer; new and improved software and methodologies and more efficient pulsed and low resolution NMR as well as more efficient visible-NIR transmission to measure ripeness of apples and NIR to detect internal bruises in fruit.
Further information about the results of European Action: FAIR-CT97-3516 (ASTEQ) can be found at www.inapg.inra.fr/ens_rech/siab/asteq/index.htm