Open AccessUltra-sensitive ethylene post-harvest monitor based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy
Author(s) -
E.H. Wahl,
S. M. Tan,
Sergei Koulikov,
B. M. Kharlamov,
Christopher R. Rella,
E. Crosson,
Dave Biswell,
Barbara A. Paldus
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.14.001673
Subject(s) - cavity ring down spectroscopy , ethylene , trace gas , spectroscopy , detection limit , materials science , parts per notation , volume (thermodynamics) , environmental science , gas chromatography , trace amounts , optics , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , environmental chemistry , chromatography , meteorology , physics , medicine , biochemistry , alternative medicine , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , pathology , catalysis
We describe the application of cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) to the detection of trace levels of ethylene in ambient air in a cold storage room of a fruit packing facility over a several month period. We compare these results with those obtained using gas chromatography (GC), the current gold standard for trace ethylene measurements in post-harvest applications. The CRDS instrument provided real-time feedback to the facility, to optimize the types of fruit stored together, and the amount of room ventilation needed to maintain sub-10 ppb ethylene levels for kiwi fruit storage. Our CRDS instrument achieved a detection limit of two parts-per-billion volume (ppbv) in 4.4 minutes of measurement time.