Heather Smyth

Instrumental methods (spectroscopy, electronic nose, and tongue) as tools to predict taste and aroma in beverages: advantages and limitations.

The human senses have always been used to assess food quality. Although the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch are used daily in all aspects of our lives, their analytical applications to evaluate food properties are relatively recent. The sensory systems of Homo sapiens are the product of millions of years of evolution where natural selection has resulted in our capacity to detect a wide range of compounds present in the environment, advantageous to our survival, allowing hedonistic evaluation of the environment. Existing analytical methods used to measure wine and alcoholic beverages composition and quality are not adequate for the demands of production in a global market due to their high cost and slow turnaround time. In the last 20 years increasing interest on the use of rapid screening techniques or instrumental methods to determine quality characteristics of foods and beverages has been of great interest to the food industry.

Usefulness of chemometrics and mass spectrometry-based electronic nose to classify Australian white wines by their varietal origin

A combination of mass spectrometry-based electronic nose (MS e_nose) and chemometrics was explored to classify two Australian white wines according to their varietal origin namely Riesling and unwooded Chardonnay. The MS e_nose data were analysed using principal components analysis (PCA), discriminant partial least squares (DPLS) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) applied to principal components scores and validated using full cross validation (leave one out). DPLS gave the highest levels of correct classification for both varieties (>90%). LDA classified correctly 73% of unwooded Chardonnay and 82% of Riesling wines. Even though the conventional analysis provides fundamental information about the volatile compounds present in the wine, the MS e_nose method has a series of advantages over conventional analytical techniques due to simplicity of the sample-preparation and reduced time of analysis and might be considered as a more convenient choice for routine process control in an industrial environment. The work reported here is a feasibility study and requires further development with considerably more commercial samples of different varieties. Further studies are needed in order to improve the calibration specificity, accuracy and robustness, and to extend the discrimination to other wine varieties or blends.

Quality Control of Honey Using Infrared Spectroscopy: A Review

Abstract Honey is a carbohydrate-rich syrup and viscous fluid produced by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from the nectar of flowers that, by definition, does not include any other substances. Honey is produced primarily from floral nectars, and fructose and glucose are the major components. Overall, the chemical composition of honey varies depending on plant source, season, production methods, and storage conditions. Analytical methods applied to honey generally deal with different topics such as determination of botanical or geographical origin, quality control according to the current standards, and detection of adulteration or residues. Traditional chemical composition analysis and physical properties assessment are routinely performed in commercial trading of honey using time-consuming analytical methods that require considerable sample preparation and analytical skills. Spectroscopic techniques in the infrared (IR) wavelength region of the electromagnetic spectrum have been used in the food industry to monitor and evaluate the composition of foods and are becoming one of the most attractive and commonly used methods of analysis. This review discusses the use, with advantages and limitations, of IR spectroscopy technologies to evaluate and monitor the composition of honey.

Use of direct headspace-mass spectrometry coupled with chemometrics to predict aroma properties in Australian Riesling wine

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of a direct headspace-mass spectrometry electronic nose instrument (MS e_nose) combined with chemometrics as rapid, objective and low cost technique to measure aroma properties in Australian Riesling wines. Commercial bottled Riesling wines were analyzed using a MS e_nose instrument and by a sensory panel. The MS e_nose data generated were analyzed using principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS1) regression using full cross validation (leave one out method). Calibration models between MS e_nose data and aroma properties were developed using partial least squares (PLS1) regression, yielding coefficients of correlation in calibration (R) and root mean square error of cross validation of 0.75 (RMSECV: 0.85) for estery, 0.89 (RMSECV: 0.94) for perfume floral, 0.82 (RMSECV: 0.62) for lemon, 0.82 (RMSECV: 0.32) for stewed apple, 0.67 (RMSECV: 0.99) for passion fruit and 0.90 (RMSECV: 0.86) for honey, respectively. The relative benefits of using MS e_nose will provide capability for rapid screening of wines before sensory analysis. However, the basic deficiency of this technique is lack of possible identification and quantitative determination of individual compounds responsible for the different aroma notes in the wine.

The formation of wine lactone from grape-derived secondary metabolites.

Wine lactone (i.e., 3a,4,5,7a-tetrahydro-3,6-dimethylbenzofuran-2(3H)-one, 1a/1b) was formed hydrolytically at wine pH from both racemic (E)-2,6-dimethyl-6-hydroxyocta-2,7-dienoic acid (3) and the corresponding glucose ester 2a at 45 °C but at room temperature was only formed from the acid 3. The glucose ester does not appear to be a significant precursor for the formation of wine lactone in wine. The slow formation of wine lactone from the free acid 3 indicates that the acid is not likely to be an important precursor to wine lactone in young wines unless present in high concentration (≫ 1 mg/L), but could be a significant precursor to wine lactone in wine that is several years old. The wine lactone formed in hydrolysates of the (6R)-enantiomer of 3 was partially enriched in the (3S,3aS,7aR)-enantiomer 1a when the hydrolysis was conducted at pH 3.2 and 100 °C in a closed vessel or under simultaneous distillation-extraction (SDE) conditions, and the enantiomeric excess (ee) varied from 5 to 22%. Hydrolysis of (6R)-3 in sealed ampules at 45 °C and at pH 3.0, 3.2, or 3.4 gave near-racemic wine lactone, but when the hydrolyses were conducted at room temperature, the product was enriched in the (3S,3aS,7aR)-enantiomer 1a and the ee was greater at higher pH (up to 60% at pH 3.4).

Applications of infrared spectroscopy for quantitative analysis of volatile and secondary metabolites in plant materials

Volatile chemical compounds responsible for the aroma of plant materials are derived from a number of different biochemical and chemical pathways. These chemical compounds are formed during plant metabolism, processing (i.e. fermentation) and post-harvest storage. Not surprisingly, there are a large number of chemical classes of compounds found in plant materials which are present at varying concentrations (ng L-1 to mg L-1), exhibit different degrees of intensity, and have a broad range of boiling points. For many years, classical separation and chromatographic and spectrometric techniques such as gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) have been used for the isolation and elucidation of volatile compounds from different plant matrices. Spectroscopic techniques in the infrared (IR) wavelength region of the electromagnetic spectrum have been used in the food industry to monitor and evaluate the composition of foods. In the last 10 years IR spectroscopy became one of the most attractive and used methods for plant analysis. This short review discussed the use, with advantages and limitations, of IR spectroscopy technologies to study volatile compounds and secondary metabolites in plant materials.

Effect of Packaging Materials and Storage on Major Volatile Compounds in Three Australian Native Herbs

Lemon myrtle, anise myrtle, and Tasmanian pepper leaf are commercial Australian native herbs with a high volatile or essential oil content. Packaging of the herbs in high- or low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE) has proven to be ineffective in preventing a significant loss of volatile components on storage. This study investigates and compares the effectiveness of alternate high-barrier property packaging materials, namely, polyvinylidene chloride coated polyethylene terephthalate/casted polypropylene (PVDC coated PET/CPP) and polyethylene terephthalate/polyethylene terephthalate/aluminum foil/linear low-density polyethylene (PET/PET/Foil/LLDPE), in prevention of volatile compound loss from the three native herbs stored at ambient temperature for 6 months. Concentrations of major volatiles were monitored using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. After 6 months of storage, the greatest loss of volatiles from lemon myrtle was observed in traditional LDPE packaging (87% loss) followed by storage in PVDC coated PET/CPP (58% loss) and PET/PET/Foil/LLDPE (loss of 23%). The volatile loss from anise myrtle and Tasmanian pepper leaf stored in PVDC coated PET/CPP and PET/PET/Foil/LLDPE packaging was <30%. This study clearly indicates the importance of selecting the correct packaging material to retain the quality of herbs with high volatile content.

Sensory quality of soymilk and tofu from soybeans lacking lipoxygenases

Abstract The oxidation of unsaturated lipids by lipoxygenases in soybeans causes undesirable flavors in soy foods. Using a traditional and a nontraditional soy food user group, we examined the cultural difference in perceiving the sensory characteristics of soymilk and tofu produced from soybeans with or without lipoxygenases (Lx123). The two groups described the samples using similar terms. The traditional users preferred the control soy milk and lipoxygenase‐free tofu while the nontraditional users preferred the lipoxygenase‐free soymilk with no preference for tofu. In a separate study, a trained descriptive taste panel compared the odor of soymilk and tofu from control soybeans or those lacking lipoxygenase‐1 and lipoxygenase‐2 (Lx12) or all three isomers (Lx123). The rancid/grassy odor was rated the lowest in Lx123 products, followed by Lx12 products with the control products given the highest rating. The Lx12 and Lx123 products were also sweeter and less bitter than the controls. Taken together, our results demonstrated that soybeans lacking lipoxygenases can produce soy foods with less undesirable aromas and are therefore likely more acceptable to the consumers.

Improved Approach for Analyzing Bromophenols in Seafood Using Stable Isotope Dilution Analysis in Combination with SPME

An analytical method for the measurement of five naturally occurring bromophenols of sensory relevance in seafood (barramundi and prawns) is presented. The method combines simultaneous distillation-extraction followed by alkaline back extraction of a hexane extract and subsequent acetylation of the bromophenols. Analysis of the bromophenol acetates was accomplished by headspace solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using selected ion monitoring. The addition of (13)C 6 bromophenol stable isotope internal standards for each of the five congeners studied permitted the accurate quantitation of 2-bromophenol, 4-bromophenol, 2,6-dibromophenol, 2,4-dibromophenol, and 2,4,6-tribromophenol down to a limit of quantification of 0.05 ng/g of fish flesh. The method indicated acceptable precision and repeatability and excellent linearity over the typical concentration range of these compounds in seafood (0.5-50 ng/g). The analytical method was applied to determine the concentration of bromophenols in a range of farmed and wild barramundi and prawns and was also used to monitor bromophenol uptake in a pilot feeding trial.

Advances in genomics for the improvement of quality in Coffee

Coffee is an important crop that provides a livelihood to millions of people living in developing countries. Production of genotypes with improved coffee quality attributes is a primary target of coffee genetic improvement programmes. Advances in genomics are providing new tools for analysis of coffee quality at the molecular level. The recent report of a genomic sequence for robusta coffee, Coffea canephora, is a major development. However, a reference genome sequence for the genetically more complex arabica coffee (C. arabica) will also be required to fully define the molecular determinants controlling quality in coffee produced from this high quality coffee species. Genes responsible for control of the levels of the major biochemical components in the coffee bean that are known to be important in determining coffee quality can now be identified by association analysis. However, the narrow genetic base of arabica coffee suggests that genomics analysis of the wild relatives of coffee (Coffea spp.) may be required to find the phenotypic diversity required for effective association genetic analysis. The genomic resources available for the study of coffee quality are described and the potential for the application of next generation sequencing and association genetic analysis to advance coffee quality research are explored.