Continuous and discontinuous on-line monitoring of odour profiles as they change over time 

Markes platform thermal desorber – UNITY – for the analysis of single sorbent tubes can be upgraded with a Direct Inlet accessory, facilitating discontinuous  on-line sampling of headspace vapours above bulk products.  Options include carrier gas purge of sealed sample vessels or pulling a fixed flow of air through open sample chambers – for example vessels containing living organisms – microbes, blossom, insects, etc. 


In either case, vapour-phase odour components are transferred from the sample container directly into the electrically-cooled sorbent focusing trap of the UNITY TD system.  Use of UNITY with the Direct Inlet accessory greatly enhances sensitivity relative to conventional headspace – allowing large volumes of vapour to be focused before subsequent analysis.  It also allows characterisation of more representative odour profiles (i.e. covering a wider volatility range) because continuous, dynamic extraction of vapours prevents the bias towards more volatile compounds observed with equilibrium headspace methods.  Selective elimination of unwanted, high concentration interferences such as water or ethanol is also possible.

Markes twin-trap TT24-7 desorber allows continuous on-line sampling and analysis of wide boiling range odour profiles with 100% sample collection efficiency.  Combining the fast sampling and concentration enhancement potential of Markes TT24-7 with rapid or real-time analytical methods also allows near real-time monitoring of even small changes in odour profile as they occur. 

Key applications for continuous or discontinuous on-line monitoring methods include:

• Accelerated shelf-life tests.
• Kinetic studies of changing odour profile.
• Selective concentration of key olfactory components for meaningful quality control via enose.  

For part numbers and pricing please contact your local Markes distributor or visit our on-line shop

Relevant technical support publications from Markes International can be automatically downloaded from this web site (registration required). Examples include:

• Brochure - Multi-Purpose Direct Inlet Accessory
• Brochure - TT24-7: Near Real-Time Monitoring 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
• TDTS 51 – Characterisation of a natural product using enhanced sensory detection 
• TDTS 52 – The use of TD-GC(-MS) in flavour and fragrance profiling and food analysis
  

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