Strengthening of the Italian Research Infrastructure for Metrology and Open Access Data in support to the Agrifood
The journal SENSORS publishes an article on a METROFOOD-IT project
An electrochemical sensor for online monitoring of vitamin C in industrial fruit juice production
The University of Parma has achieved a significant scientific result within the METROFOOD-IT project: an article has recently been published in the journal Sensors (MDPI) concerning the development of an electrochemical sensor based on nano-hybrid materials for online monitoring of vitamin C content during industrial fruit juice production.
The article was published in the Chemical Sensors section of the journal under an open-access model, allowing for full public sharing.
The study in question (On-Line Monitoring of Vitamin C in Fruit Juice in Processing Plants by Electrochemical Sensor Based on PEDOT-Modified Electrodes: A Feasibility Study) was conducted as part of the activities of the PNRR METROFOOD-IT project, using facilities acquired within the framework of the new research infrastructure. Among the authors are the project coordinator, Prof. Maria Careri, Prof. Sara Rainieri, Prof. Marco Giannetto, and other researchers working on the project. The achievement was made possible thanks to the synergy between the operational units UNIPR1 – Smart Analytical Sensors Unit and UNIPR3 – Food Process Control UnitUNIPR3 – Food Process Control UnitUNIPR3 – Food Process Control Unit.
More specifically, researchers at the University of Parma tested the performance of a nano-hybrid electrochemical sensor, based on a combination of gold nanoparticles and a conductive polymer (PEDOT), for online monitoring of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) concentration variations during thermal processing, typically used for pasteurization of industrial products such as orange juice.
The excellent analytical performance of the developed sensor enabled the creation of a multivariate mathematical model to predict the decline in vitamin C content in samples based on the temperature and duration of the industrial process.
A key aspect of the study is the applicability of the sensor device for online monitoring in Process Analytical Technology (PAT) contexts, thanks to its ability to acquire real-time signals with minimal pre-analytical sample treatment.
The relevance of this new study lies in its contribution to the design of innovative solutions for integration into low-cost portable devices for future industrial applications, aligning with the METROFOOD-IT project's goal of digitalizing agrifood systems.
