Oleum Spec, the intelligent electronic nose Made in Emilia will assess the goodness of extra virgin olive oil

The electronic nose has been around since the 1990s in the food industry, but this is the first time that 'artificial nostrils' have been equipped with artificial intelligence and are able to self-learn and work alongside human sensory panels in the objective assessment of the organoleptic characteristics of extra virgin olive oil (Evoo). Its name is Oleum Spec, the new device developed by Olitalia (a brand of the Cremonini family of oils and vinegars) and Lab Service Analytica (a Bologna-based SME specialising in food and environmental analysis) presented today in Bologna at BI-REX, the competence centre that, together with the Alma Mater and the Institute for Olive-growing-ZRS Koper, contributed to the development of the over 700,000 euro project, co-funded with PNRR funds.

The technology combines high-sensitivity sensors (based on gas chromatography and ion mobility spectrometry) with software capable of self-learning, trained by official panels of tasters to recognise defects, merits, aromas and intensity in Evo oil. The declared objective is twofold: to reduce the margin of human error in sensory analysis and to speed up quality control times, today slowed down by the need to perform compulsory organoleptic tests required by EU regulations 2104/22 and 2105/22.

Oleum Spec, currently in the validation phase, is aimed at the oil industry and third-party laboratories and is able to estimate product shelf life, standardise oil blending, and guarantee traceability and replicability of organoleptic evaluations. "A revolution for a sector that historically innovates little,' says Angelo Cremonini, president of Olitalia, a family business with a turnover of 311 million, a site in Forlì dedicated to oil and one in Spilamberto, near Modena, for vinegars and a distribution network present in 120 countries, 'but which today needs objective tools to face international competition.

The device does not replace the panel test, but accompanies it: the software is trained by sampling carried out by Olitalia, while Lab Service Analytica developed the instrumental and digital architecture. The added value compared to traditional electronic noses - which have been in use for over thirty years in sectors such as food, medicine, environmental monitoring and the chemical industry - lies in the integration with artificial intelligence, which allows dynamic odour classification, adaptation to new matrices and a progressive reduction in the variability of measurements.

"With Oleum Spec," adds Ivano Battaglia, CEO of Lab Service Analytica, "we transform scientific results into analytical solutions for industry, thanks to an interdisciplinary team and a consolidated network of public and private research. The Anzola Emilia-based company, active since 1984 with a turnover of 8 million, boasts experience in environmental monitoring and sensor technology for food safety.