Method for examining the quality of material by measuring photon emission in different gaseous atmospheres

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for examining the quality or the quality changes of a specimen of material by measuring the intensity of photons emitted by the material, which has been excited by submission to a white light source, in air and in CO 2 , and correlating the measured intensities and comparing this result with similar measurements of fresh samples. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for implementing the method, and use of the method for examining the quality of material.

Description: The present invention relates to a method for examining the quality or the quality changes of a specimen of material by measuring the intensity of photons emitted by the material, which has been excited by submission to a white light source, in air and in CO 2 , and correlating the measured intensities and comparing this result with similar measurements of fresh samples. Verifying the quality of food is important both to producers and consumers. Various methods have been developed, many of which are chemical tests and require a long time and highly educated personnel to be performed. Examples of food quality examination concern freshness of fruit, vegetables and other food-materials, radiation history of food materials, and temperature history of food materials: e.g. whether a fish sold as fresh has already been frozen. A first decision about food quality is based on evaluation of parameters such as taste, smell, structure and appearance. In many cases the appearance of food, that means its optical properties, is the first parameter to be considered. The present method is based on the measurement of the material light emittance called phosphorescence, which is due to electron transitions of previously excited material. Methods are known for determining quality of material by measuring emission in air. However, these methods are very comprehensive as in order to obtain precise results it is necessary to obtain information about the spectral resolution of the measured photon emission and this complicates and prolongs the measurement and calculation procedure. The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks. It has surprisingly been found that by correlating photon emission from a material in air and in CO 2 and comparing this correlation with corresponding emissions of fresh material, a simple and precise examination of the material is possible. Hereinafter, the intensity of photon emission in air will be referred to as Iair and the intensity of photon emission in CO 2 will be referred to as ICO 2 . Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for examining the quality of a specimen of material by measuring the intensity of photons emitted by the material resulting from phosphorescence emission which material has been excited by submission to a white light source, said method comprises measuring in a dark chamber comprising air the intensity of photon emission Iair from at least a sample of the specimen which has been excited for a period, measuring in a dark chamber comprising CO 2 the intensity of photon emission ICO 2 from the same or a substantially identical specimen or a substantially identical sample or the same sample thereof which has been excited for substantially the same period, and correlating the relation between the intensity measured in air and in CO 2 and comparing said correlation with similar measurement of a fresh sample. By this method a simple procedure for determining the quality of a specimen is obtained, which allows a more precise examination and control of the specimen. It has been found that the emission level from a specimen in CO 2 is substantially reduced when compared with the emission level in air. This difference in emission allows a precise correlation between the two levels. It has also surprisingly been found that the ratio between the emission levels will change with the change in quality of the specimen. Therefore, it is possible to assess the quality of the specimen by comparing its ratio with reference ratios of known qualities. In the present context the term white light source is a source emitting light in the range of 350 to 750 nm. The excitation in air and CO 2 lasts for the same length of time as a result of which it is possible to compare and correlate the emission from the material. The correlation between the intensity measured in air and in CO 2 may advantageously be ICO 2 /Iair. This ratio is compared with a corresponding ratio for a fresh sample. If the ratio is bigger than that of the fresh sample then the quality is lower. The ratio of the examined sample may also be compared with values of samples at different states of freshness so as to determine the relative freshness of the sample. Alternatively, a correlation ratio of (ICO 2 -Iair)/Iair may be used for the comparisons discussed above. Conveniently, the intensities of the photon emission are measured at a predetermined wavelength or alternatively, at a predetermined wavelength band. It is preferred that the same sample is used for the measurements in both air and CO 2 in order to obtain precise quality assessment. The sample may be positioned in the chamber and excited therein before the white light source is turned off and intensity of the photon emission is measured for a fixed time period in the dark chamber. Preferably, the same chamber is used for both the air and CO 2 measurements. This will eliminate any erroneous influence from the chamber as the two measurements are correlated. The most precise results are obtained if the intensity measurements are carried out immediately after the excitation as the emission from the sample is then strongest. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention the sample is positioned in the chamber containing air and submitted to photons from the white light source, the white light source is turned off and Iair is measured for a time period, the chamber is flushed with CO 2 and the sample is again submitted to photons from the white light source, and the white light source is turned off and ICO 2 is measured for substantially the same time period. In a favourable embodiment, the method comprises the steps of examining the specimen by direct imaging by means of a high sensitivity camera or a charge coupled device camera using the photons emitted by the specimen placed in a dark chamber and by using said camera for measuring the intensities of photons by connecting a spectrograph or a filter device between the specimen and the camera. Alternatively, a photo multiplier can be used for the intensity measurements. Light emission from the sample surface and volume is not always uniformly distributed. Hot spots, areas with intense light emission, may appear. These may be studied separately or avoided, if necessary, by these imaging features, in order to improve the certainty of the quality assessment. In another aspect, the invention relates to a device for implementing the above-described method. The device comprises a measurement chamber, CO 2 supply means and CO 2 evacuation means, a source of photons producing the emission of photons at a wavelength appropriate for the excitation of the specimen, means for selectively choosing photons of predetermined wavelength or wavelengths emitted by the specimen and amplifying detector means for measuring the intensities of these photons of predetermined wavelength or wavelengths. The apparatus used for carrying out the method according to the invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention relates also to the use of the method for examining the quality of a a) fresh/aged, and/or b) frozen/not frozen and/or c) heated/not heated and/or d) irradiated/ not irradiated specimen of food material, and/or for examining the thermal history of a specimen and/or the storing conditions of a specimen, in particular of food material and for the study of the kinetics of a biological process involving photon emission. The method, device and use according to the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings given by way of example in which: Figure 1 represents an apparatus for implementing the measurement method. Figure 2 illustrates a more complete equipment for implementing the measurement method. Figure 3 illustrates schematically the measurement procedure according to the invention. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the effect of freezing-thawing of fresh leaves measured in air. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the effect of heating a fresh leaf measured in air. Figure 6 is a diagram showing measurements in air and in CO 2 of an excited spinach sample. As schematically represented in figure 1, the equipment, device or apparatus for implementing the measurement method comprises a light source 10, a measurement chamber 11 in which the specimen 12 to be examined is placed, CO 2 supply means 8 for supplying CO 2 to the chamber and CO 2 evacuate means 9 for emptying the chamber again. Furthermore, comprised is a first light conductor 14 to conduct the light from the source 10 and emit it to the specimen and a second light sensor and conductor 15 to detect the light from the specimen and conduct it to a detector device 16. The measurement values 17 are transferred from the detector device 16 to a computer 18 which calculates and presents the evaluated results 19. Excitation of biological material is performed with a white light source 10, in special cases with an UV source. Knowing that UV light may negatively affect biological processes and observing that the white light source gives the best sample emission response, it is used in the present measurements. The spectral detector device 16 can be a photo multiplier, a high sensitivity camera or an intensified charge coupled device type camera associated with a filter device or a spectrograph. In order to observe the specimen by an imaging technique instead of measuring the spectral light distribution, the spectrograph/filter can be replaced by an optical lens allowing the recording of a light emission map of the luminescent specimen on a screen 20. In an extended version for research work represented in figure 2, the equipment may comprise a first set-up 24 as an imaging system and a second set-up 25 as a spectrograph system. The first set-up 24 comprises a measurement dark chamber 26 containing a broad spectrum light source 27 and a specimen holder, a lens 29, a camera 30, for example an intensified charge coupled detector camera (ICCD), as the detector camera 576S/RB sold by SPECTROSCOPY INSTRUMENTS GmbH, D-8031 GILCHING, a controller unit 31 for the detector camera, for example the ST-130 unit sold by the same company, and a computer 32 allowing to interact with the controller unit 31 and to visualise the image recorded by the camera 30 on a screen 33. In the second set-up 25, the measurement dark chamber 26, the light source 27 and the specimen 28 with holder remain unchanged, but a spectrograph 34 is put between the specimen chamber 26 and the ICCD camera 30. This spectrograph 34 may be obtained from the above-mentioned company under No. ISP-250, comprising three exchangeable gratings providing three spectral resolutions. The spectrograph 34 is controlled by a step-motor controller 35 linked to the computer 32. Advantageously, the spectrograph may be used to select a single wavelength or a wavelength band. The colour spectra, intensity emitted as a function of wavelength, obtained in the spectrograph 34, is recorded by means of the ICCD camera and the measurement results are processed in the computer 32. The set-ups 24 and 25 comprise also CO 2 supply means and evacuate means which are not shown in the drawings. The measurement procedure comprises the following steps illustrated schematically in figure 3. 1.A specimen 12 is placed in a dark chamber containing air. 2.The specimen is light excited for a set time period t1 by means of a light source at a determined wavelength band. 3.Immediately after light excitation the intensity of the specimens emission Iair is measured in a time interval t2. The intensity is measured at a single wavelength or a wavelength band. 4.The specimen remains in the dark chamber while the chamber is flushed with CO 2 , e.g. at a flushing rate of approximately 300 ml/min. After 20 sec of CO 2 flushing, the specimen is light excited with the light source at the same wavelength range as in air and for the period t1. 5.Immediately after the light excitation of the specimen the intensity of the emission from the specimen ICO 2 is measured for the period t2. The measured intensities Iair and ICO 2 are then correlated to diminish any error factors which might have influenced the measurements. This correlation is then compared with reference values and consequently a precise indication of the quality of the specimen is obtained. If the quality of the sample is expressed by the relation ICO 2 /Iair, the quality is good if the relation is small. From which it follows that a ratio close to 1 indicates a bad quality. An example of a measurement in air is represented in figure 4 showing that the effect of freezing-thawing of fresh leaves causes a significant change in the biophoton emission. Figure 4 displays the emission intensity in counts/(sec cm 2 ) for a fresh leaf (curve 65) and for a frozen-thawed leaf (curve 66) as a function of the time in seconds after turning off the light excitation. Here 1 count/ (sec cm 2 ) corresponds to 10 photons/(sec cm 2 ). The difference in the emission of biophotons is an indication of the material changes that have taken place in the frozen-thawed leaf. Both in maximum emission intensity and in end-level emission the frozen-thawed sample differs from the fresh sample. The effect of heating a fresh leaf is studied in a third example illustrated in figure 5. The diagram shows the sample emission decay curves as a function of the time in seconds after turning off the light excitation. Each curve corresponds to measurements at a given temperature, in particular curve 70 at 22°C, 71 at 30°C, 72 at 40°C, 73 at 52°C and 74 at 60°C. For the temperatures 22, 30 and 40°C leaf emission has the decay characteristics of a normal fresh sample. For 52°C maximum intensity is below 1500 ct/(sec cm2) and for 60°C the emission response of the leaf is very weak: maximum emission is below 100ct/(sec cm2). This breakdown in emission ability is final. Further measurements with the heated sample showed that it did not recover to a state where it gave the emission response of a fresh sample. Figure 6 shows measurements in air and in CO 2 of an excited spinach sample. The excitation was carried out with the above-described method and apparatus. The excitation was by means of a white lamp and the excitation time was 10 sec. The measurements show a clear reduction in the emission response once the chamber was flushed with CO 2 . The CO 2 caused a reduction in the maximum emission level of about 70%, and the emission decay was also slower. Re-excitation of the sample while it was exposed to CO 2 (for a period of 5 sec.) gave an increase in the emission response, but the emission did not recover the intensity recorded in air. As it will be apparent from the diagram in figure 6 the ratio between the intensities measured in CO 2 and those measured in air is approximately 0.2. Experiments have shown that the ratio of a fresh sample is below 0.25, and accordingly is the sample shown in figure 6 is fresh. Table 1 gives an indication of the intensities in Iair and ICO 2 , and the ration between ICO 2 /Iair which can be expected for fresh, aged, old and frozen-thawed material. Material state Fresh Ageing Old Frozen-Thawed Iair 1400 700 55 500 ICO 2 300 200 50 200 ICO 2 /Iair 0.21 0.28 0.91 0.4 Finally, it should be noted that corresponding measurements have also been carried out in air and N 2 for edible green vegetables. However, the N 2 atmosphere has no influence on the emission response. Consequently, it is believed that such atmosphere is unsuitable for correlation and comparative assessment of quality material.

Claims: Method for examining the quality of a specimen of material by measuring the intensity of photons emitted by the material resulting from phosphorescence emission which material has been excited by submission to a white light source, said method comprises measuring in a dark chamber comprising air the intensity of photon emission lair from at least a sample of the specimen which has been excited for a period, measuring in a dark chamber comprising CO 2 the intensity of photon emission ICO 2 from the same or a substantially identical specimen or a substantially identical sample or the same sample thereof which has been excited for substantially the same period, and correlating the relation between the intensity measured in air and in CO 2 and comparing said correlation with similar measurement of a fresh sample. A method according to claim 1, wherein the intensity is measured at a predetermined wavelength. A method according to claim 1, wherein the intensity is measured at a predetermined band of wavelengths. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sample used for the measurement in air and in CO 2 is the same. A method according to any of claim 1 to 4, wherein the sample is positioned in the chamber and light excited therein before the white light source is turned off and intensity of the photon emission is measured for a time period in the dark chamber. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the same chamber is used for measuring Iair and ICO 2 . A method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sample is positioned in the chamber containing air and submitted to photons from the white light source, the white light source is turned off and Iair is measured for a time period, the chamber is flushed with CO 2 and the sample is again submitted to photons from the white light source, and the white light source is turned off and ICO 2 is measured for substantially the same time period. A method according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the correlation between the intensity measured in air and in CO 2 is ICO 2 /Iair. A method according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the correlation between the intensity measured in air and in CO 2 is (Iair-ICO 2 )/Iair. A method according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the intensities of photons emitted are measured immediately after the excitation. A method according to any of claim 1 to 10, wherein the intensities are measured by direct imaging by means of a high sensitive camera or a charge coupled device camera or by intensity measurement with a photo multiplier. Phosphorescence detection device for implementing the method as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 11, said device comprising a measurement chamber (26), CO 2 supply and evacuate means, a source of photons (10) producing the emission of photons at a wavelength appropriate for the excitation of the specimen, means for selectively choosing photons of predetermined wavelength or wavelengths emitted by the specimen and amplifying detector means (16) for measuring the intensities of these photons of predetermined wavelength or wavelengths. Use of the method according to claims 1 to 9, for examining the quality of a a) fresh/aged, and/or b) frozen/not frozen and/or c) heated/not heated and/or d) irradiated/not irradiated specimen of food material, and/or for examining the thermal history of a specimen and/or the storing conditions of a specimen, in particular food material.

Inventors: NILSEN HEIDI, SEILER ALFRED, TRINKS HAUKE, NILSEN, HEIDI, SEILER, ALFRED, TRINKS, HAUKE
Applicants: NESTLE SA, SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE S.A.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: G01N21
IPC codes: G01N21