2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:20
Fraud by extra virgin olive oil, a symbol of Mediterranean naturalness, are constantly increasing: change of origin, change of label, deodorization.
A problem that could be solved with the help of an electronic nose.
Developed by the Coop laboratories and used to test the quality of branded products, the anti-counterfeiting electronic nose of extra-virgin olive oil works thanks to an aromatic fingerprint.
Chiara Faenza, head of the sustainability and innovation sector of Coop Italia explains:
"We use a double column gas chromatograph, a tool that is able to identify, with certainty, if it is Italian oil".
The instrument is called Heracles II and, as if it were a truffle dog, it requires special training: the one at the Coop laboratories in Casalecchio del Reno was educated for over a year to smell both Italian and foreign oils through the identification of volatile substances..
The aromatic profile of each oil was then indexed in a database.
The tool is capable of recognizing the volatile substances emitted by any material and, consequently, of providing the identity card of the product, making it easier to identify the fake.