Sensor sniffs fish freshness.Sensor sniffs fish freshness Objectively measuring the freshness of fish is important for quality control measures in the fish processing In fishing industry, fish processing or fish products industry refers to processing fish delivered by fisheries, which are the supplier of the fish products industry. industry. One of the most widely used methods of testing for freshness -- chemically measuring breakdown products of ATP-related compounds in the fish's muscle tissue -- requres a great deal of effort and time. Japanese researchers now suggest that it may be easier to use a special sensor to measure gases produced as a fish decomposes. A titanium oxide/ruthenium semiconductor sensor, heated to 500[deg.]C, is very sensitive to the ambient concentrations of trimethylamine (TMA TMA Turnaround Management Association TMA Texas Medical Association TMA Transportation Management Association TMA Training and Management Assistance (a component of OHRD, which is a component of OWR) TMA Tooling & Manufacturing Association ) and ammonia, gases given off during fish deterioration, say Yasuhiro Shimizu and colleagues of Nagasaki University Famous graduates of Nagasaki University and its predecessors
When exposed to increased levels of TMA and ammonia, the electrical resistance of the semiconductive sensor decreases, the group reports in the October JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL electrochemical /elec·tro·chem·i·cal/ (-kem´i-k'l) pertaining to interaction or interconversion of chemical and electrical energies. e·lec·tro·chem·i·cal adj. SOCIETY. Because the sensor is only exposed to the fish's "odor," the technique may offer a much more "rapid, nondestructive non·de·struc·tive adj. Of, relating to, or being a process that does not result in damage to the material under investigation or testing. non analysis of freshness" than current methods, the researchers say. |
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