Low-cost Gas Chromatography with Gas Sensor Array for Rapid Tests in Food Industry Processes

In this article, the development of a "low cost" gas chromatographic measurement system is presented. A micro structured gas sensor array is integrated as detection unit, so measuring processes can be done outside the laboratory, e.g. directly during food processing. The measuring system, consisting of a chromatographic column with downstream gas sensor array offers the separation and identification of volatile compounds. Reliable and reproducible detection of small gas concentrations, in the area of a few ppb, is the main challenge contrived to the detecting unit. A calculated Principal Components Analysis provides the proof, that volatile compounds are differentiable by the sensor array. To analyse the measuring results, a method is developed and presented.