| High levels of residual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in packaging films can be a threat to the quality of food products. Currently, a wide range of techniques are available for assessing the residual VOCs in packaging films. An electronic nose (e-nose) system appears to be a viable alternative to traditional techniques, providing simplicity and objectivity. In this study, an objective method has been developed for assessing the residual VOCs from low density polyethylene films. Three VOCs, ethyl acetate, ethyl alcohol, and toluene, were chosen as model solvents. An Alpha Mos Fox 3000 e-nose system was used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of residual solvents. Once the optimum e-nose parameters were determined for all of the model solvent samples, the measurements were made for single and binary solvent mixtures. The responses obtained from the e-nose were processed with multivariate statistical analysis methods (PCA, DFA, and PLS) and compared with gas chromatography, which is currently used for determining the amounts of residual VOCs in packaging films. The results indicated that there was good agreement between the e-nose responses and gas chromatography results. Both single and binary solvent mixture concentrations were successfully predicted with the proposed method. |
