Meat quality assessment using Au patch electrode Ag-SnO₂/SiO₂/Si MIS capacitive gas sensor at room temperature

Area of Science:

• * Materials Science and Sensor Technology
• * Food Science and Technology
• * Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• * Traditional methods for assessing meat spoilage, such as TVB-N, TVC, and pH analysis, are time-consuming and complex.
• * There is a need for rapid, accurate, and portable methods for on-site quality assessment of perishable foods like chicken meat.
• * Volatile compounds like ammonia (NH3), trimethylamine (TMA), ethanol, and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are key indicators of meat spoilage.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To design and develop a novel Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS) capacitive sensor for detecting low concentrations of volatile compounds associated with chicken meat spoilage.
• * To evaluate the sensor's performance at room temperature for rapid quality assessment.
• * To correlate the sensor's readings with established meat quality parameters and sensory evaluations.

Main Methods:

• * Fabrication of an Au patch electrode Ag-SnO2/SiO2/Si MIS capacitive sensor integrated with a microcontroller.
• * Sensing of volatile compounds (NH3, TMA, ethanol, H2S) generated from chicken meat spoilage at room temperature.
• * Calibration and validation of the sensor against standard methods (TVB-N, TVC, pH) and sensory analysis.

Main Results:

• * The developed sensor successfully detected volatile compounds in the ppb to ppm range from spoiled chicken meat.
• * The sensor provided a rapid response (55 seconds) indicative of meat spoilage status.
• * Quality thresholds determined by the sensor correlated highly with established methods, identifying acceptance limits for chicken meat stored at different temperatures (e.g., 105h at 4°C, 48h at 15°C, 17h at 25°C).

Conclusions:

• * The fabricated MIS capacitive sensor offers a portable, inexpensive, and rapid solution for on-site quality assessment of meat spoilage.
• * The sensor technology shows promise for real-time monitoring of food quality, reducing reliance on lengthy traditional analysis.
• * This approach enables accurate and timely decision-making regarding food safety and consumption.