Researchers from Robotics and Automation Unit of the University Institute of Research on Olive and Olive Oils (INUO) at the University of Jaén (UJA), Diego Martínez and Javier Gámez, belonging to the Robotics, Automation and Computer Vision research group of spin-off ISR (Sensory Integration and Robotics) and to the Department of Robotics and Automation Engineering of the UJA, have developed a portable device with the aim of classifying olive oils and detecting possible adulterations of olive oils with other oils of vegetable origin.
This device arises from the project tendered by Agricultural and Fisheries Management Agency of the Andalusian Regional Government and financed with Feder funds called “Development of a portable device for the identification of negatives in situ in the framework of official agri-food inspection: Characterisation of Olive Oil” and consists of three phases to be developed in two years. It is currently in the second phase of the pre-commercial public procurement project with development of prototype in order to build it and, finally, in the third phase, to proceed to its validation. In fact, a field evaluation of the device itself is planned for the beginning of 2024.
Diego Martínez has advanced that it will be a device the size of a briefcase and that it will be “a little thicker than a laptop“. He also points out that it will be designed and programmed to be easily used in the olive oil sector, although it will also allow the methodology to be extrapolated to other agri-food sectors such as wine. The idea is that, when the sample is introduced, and after a short response time of one or two minutes, the device will classify the oil by quality according to current European regulations as extra virgin, virgin or lampante olive oil, and will also be able to detect and identify possible adulterations with other vegetable fats. He adds that the device will integrate two non-invasive technologies: Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) and Electronic Nose Technology (ENOSE) which, according to previous studies, have been considered effective for obtaining fingerprints on oils and their correlation with their chemical and organoleptic characteristics.
Finally, researchers pointed out that methodology, developed in accredited laboratories for classification of oils according to their quality, uses procedures that involve time, consumables and the destruction of the sample. On the other hand, they say that adulterations of olive oils are becoming more and more frequent and that the methods used “require complicated previous steps, consuming a great deal of time and money“. Hence the relevance of this device’s mission, since non-invasive analytical technologies, conveniently connected to accredited laboratories, can be an alternative to traditional methods of analysis that are costly and have a long turnaround time.
