Studio preliminare sull'uso del naso elettronico per discriminare i biscotti in funzione della formulazione

EN was used in order to discriminate different types of biscuits made by the same company. The tested biscuits contain: cream, eggs, sugar, yoghurt and almond, butter, and chocolate. Some raw ingredients were also analized to study possible similarities between the “olfactory prints” of ingredients and whole biscuits. For this aim an EN PEN 2 (WMA Airsense, Schwerin, Germany) was used. Only in some cases the Principal Component Analysis was able to discriminate samples in different groups. The EN was unable to detect similarities between biscuits and their ingredients, probably because of the changes in the volatile compound composition due to the cooking process. However, obtained results were promising; EN could be considered a useful tool to discriminate biscuits on the basis of their different recipes, expecially if combined with chemical, physical and sensory techniques.