A Novel MOS Nanowire Gas Sensor Device (S3) and GC-MS-Based Approach for the Characterization of Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Abstract

To determine the originality of a typical Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, it is crucial to define and characterize its quality, ripening period, and geographical origin. Different analytical techniques have been applied aimed at studying the organoleptic and characteristic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profile of this cheese. However, most of the classical methods are time consuming and costly. The aim of this work was to illustrate a new simple, portable, fast, reliable, non-destructive, and economic sensor device S3 based on an array of six metal oxide semiconductor nanowire gas sensors to assess and discriminate the quality ranking of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese samples and to identify the VOC biomarkers using a headspace SPME-GC-MS. The device could clearly differentiate cheese samples varying in quality and ripening time when the results were analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis involving principal component analysis (PCA). Similarly, the volatile constituents of Parmigiano Reggiano identified were consistent with the compounds intimated in the literature. The obtained results show the applicability of an S3 device combined with SPME-GC-MS and sensory evaluation for a fast and high-sensitivity analysis of VOCs in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and for the quality control of this class of cheese.

Application of a Novel S3 Nanowire Gas Sensor Device in Parallel with GC-MS for the Identification of Rind Percentage of Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

“…This leads to a final product that has various nutritional properties: its dry weight is mostly composed of proteins and lipids, it is lactose- and galactose-free and it is rich in organic acids, such as lactic acid, acetic acid, propionic and butyric acids [ 4 ]. The semi-fat composition, due to natural creaming of skimmed unpasteurized milk [ 5 ], is produced by cattle that consume only locally grown forage because supply of silage and fermented feeds is not permitted [ 6 ].…”

Array of MOX Nanowire Gas Sensors for Wastewater Management

“…This aim can be reached using chemical gas sensors since they can give information about the status of what they are analyzing in a short time. Their fields of application range from food quality control [2][3][4][5] to environmental monitoring [6] to human disease detection [7]. Their versatility is also due to the various materials that can be employed.…”

Innovative Sensor Approach to Follow <em>Campylobacter jejuni </em>Development

“…S3 device used in the present work has been completely designed and constructed at SENSOR Laboratory (University of Brescia, Italy) in collaboration with NASYS S.r.l., a spin-off of the University of Brescia. It has been described in other works [20][21][22][23]. Briefly, the tool comprises three parts: pneumatic components, that transfer VOCs from the headspace of samples to the sensing chamber; electronic boards, that manage the acquisition and transmission of the data from the device to the dedicated Web-App and allow the synchronization between S3 and the auto-sampler; sensing chamber, that can host from five to ten different MOX gas sensors and is thermostated and isolated in order to avoid any influence of the surrounding environment.…”