Potentiometric electronic tongue as a tool to evaluate the matrix effects on the compound release kinetics of smoke flavorings

• Grant number: 25/25390-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2026
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Louise Emy Kurozawa
• Grantee: Luiz Guilherme Gomes Dias
• Supervisor: Manel Del Valle
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 25/08968-1 - Study of the stability and release of volatile compounds of smoke aroma microencapsulated by spray drying and freeze drying, BP.IC

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the influence of food matrices on the release kinetics of ions from smoke flavorings using a potentiometric electronic tongue, complemented by exploratory voltammetric acquisitions. Liquid smoke and its microencapsulated forms, produced by spray drying and freeze drying with whey protein isolate and maltodextrin, will be prepared with added Mg²+ and Ca²+ ions. Firstly, powders will be produced specifically for sensor measurements. The second phase involves calibration and baseline assessment, establishing sensor response curves for individual ions and recording characteristic potentiometric profiles for liquid smoke and reconstituted powders. Further on, the project focuses on evaluating ion release kinetics in different model systems, including aqueous, saline, acidic, hydroalcoholic, and lipophilic environments, simulating relevant food matrices. All measurements will be performed in multiple independent replicates to ensure reproducibility. Additionally, exploratory voltammetric trials using key volatile markers, such as 4-ethylguaiacol, may provide complementary baseline data. The final step encompasses data processing and chemometric analysis, including feature extraction, multivariate pattern recognition, and evaluation of matrix effects on ion release. This work is expected to provide insight into how encapsulation and matrix composition modulate the availability of smoke flavor compounds, demonstrating the applicability of a sensor for flavor characterization, paving the way for future correlation studies with chromatography data.