PI-SENS

The Institute for Breath Research is involved in the Muaquacom subproject at the KOMET Center.

Low-cost sensor system for monitoring acetaldehyde in carbon dioxide gas

Ensuring that carbon dioxide (CO₂) used in food and beverage production is free from acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO) is essential to guarantee product safety, sensory quality, and compliance with regulatory standards. Even trace levels below 1 ppm can significantly alter the flavor and aroma of beverages, while higher concentrations raise health concerns, as acetaldehyde is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 2B possible human carcinogen.
Acetaldehyde contamination can originate from raw materials, incomplete combustion, fermentation by-products, or during CO₂ storage and transfer. Maintaining food-grade purity therefore requires continuous monitoring and strict quality control throughout the supply chain. Current detection methods, primarily based on gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS), provide high analytical accuracy but are expensive and limited to specialized laboratory environments.

This project aims to develop and validate a low-cost, portable sensor system for on-site monitoring of acetaldehyde in CO₂ gas streams. The approach is based on chemiresistive sensing technology utilizing different polymer materials to achieve high specificity and sensitivity. The resulting sensor platform will enable reliable, real-time detection of trace acetaldehyde levels, offering a practical and cost-efficient tool for continuous quality assurance in the food and beverage industry.

 

Website: https://www.dpu-research-pisens.at/

Contact person: Assistenz-Prof. Dr. Veronika Ruzsanyi and Anna Schöllnast, M.Sc