PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND ELECTRONIC NOSE MEASUREMENTS ON THE STUDY OF BISCUIT BAKING KINETICS

The main physico-chemical modifications during the cooking process of laboratory-made biscuits were monitored at different cooking times (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 min). Moisture content, surface colours and textures were measured. In addition the evolution of the flavour release was performed by means of an electronic nose equipped with 10 metal-oxide sensors. Multivariate statistical analyses were performed to distinguish samples as a function of their physico-chemical characteristics. The electronic nose permitted differentiation between raw, under cooked, well-cooked and over cooked products. Similar and complementary information was obtained considering both electronic nose data and traditional physico-chemical cooking indexes. The obtained results showed that it could be feasible to monitor the changes in the biscuit’s aroma and cooking level directly during the process by using an electronic nose with a simplified gas sensor array, as well as allowing the optimization of the technological parameters.