enAUTOMATE Platform
AUTOMATE is an innovative technological platform comprising 20 instrumented cells dedicated to the automated screening of gas exchanges between food products, packaging materials, and the external environment. It was developed by the BioDyMIA laboratory (Claude Bernard University Lyon 1).
The platform incorporates a humid ternary gas mixture generator (N₂/O₂/CO₂, H₂O) that enables the automated control of closed cells containing real or model food matrices. Each cell is equipped with sensors ensuring accurate and controlled monitoring of system evolution over time, under predefined experimental conditions. The primary objective is to establish representative behavioral models of the interactions involved.
In the longer term, beyond monitoring gas flows and analyzing the profile of volatile compounds in the cell headspace by GC–MS, AUTOMATE will enable the assessment of quality and degradation markers in “tailor‑made” packaged foods. This approach aims to improve the characterization of relationships between the identified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and changes occurring within the overall food / functional packaging ecosystem.
A few exemples of applications are presented below.
Oxidative degradation of ground beef lipids: in situ antioxidant activity
The oxidation of fatty acids reduces the quality and the nutritional, organoleptic value of meat products. The use of antioxidants can slow down this reaction, in order to preserve the product and extend its lifespan.
AUTOMATE: The effectiveness of natural antioxidants is studied in situ by generating a controlled atmosphere rich in oxygen in the conditioning cells containing the formulated product, at different temperatures in order to determine the activity of the introduced antioxidants, against a blank. In parallel, the cells can be equipped with "absorbent pens" or sorbent penTM introduced into the headspace so as to capture VOCs, but at that time requires manual removal of the pen after applying a partial vacuum to the cell. (technique called Vacuum-assisted sorbent extraction (VASETM). The Sorbent PenTM is then thermodesorbed directly at the top of the GC column.
AUTOMATE makes it possible to evaluate food factors not only in terms of bioactivity, but also in terms of their functional role in maintaining food quality before consumption.
Champignons de Paris: study of respiration data
Mushrooms are highly perishable foods due to their high moisture content and extremely high respiration rate (RR), which critically determines their shelf life and requires careful post‑harvest handling. Packaging plays a key role in reducing mushroom respiration, thereby extending shelf life and limiting food waste. However, respiration rate strongly depends on species, growing conditions, maturity at harvest, storage time, temperature, and mechanical damage such as cutting or slicing, which simultaneously increases enzymatic, respiratory, and microbiological activities, leading to accelerated degradation. These effects can be mitigated through appropriate temperature control and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Accurate measurement and mathematical modeling of respiration rates are therefore essential for the rational design of MAP systems and for preventing food loss due to inadequate packaging. Owing to the extensive literature available, mushrooms constitute an ideal model to rapidly validate the robustness and performance of the AUTOMATE platform.
AUTOMATE enables real‑time monitoring of gas exchanges in fresh mushrooms under controlled conditions.
Figure: Changes and periodic renewals (6 to 8 renewals, depending on the cells denoted C2 or C3) of O2 and CO2 contents (blurred colors) measured in 2 cells containing whole fresh Paris fungi at 7°C. The evolution phases of the concentrations allow for the calculation of respiration rates based on the geometry of the cells and the mass of the introduced fungi.
As illustrated, oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations were continuously recorded in closed cells containing whole fresh button mushrooms stored at 7 °C. Starting from an initial oxygen level close to 20% (air conditions), oxygen gradually decreased due to tissue solubilization and respiration until a target threshold, while CO₂ production showed contrasted dynamics with pronounced changes during gas renewal, reflecting its higher solubility in mushroom tissues. These measurements allow the determination of respiration rates in agreement with the literature, showing limited variation over time at low temperature.
Figure : Determination of the O2 and CO2 respiration rates of mushrooms stored at 7°C as a function of time
Figures : (left) Evolution and renewals of O2 and CO2 contents as a function of time. (right) Evolution of the respiration rate of Paris mushrooms at 23°C. Corresponding respiration rate, then visible contamination by increase in apparent TR (blue arrow).
At 23 °C, higher gas renewal frequencies and increased O₂ and CO₂ respiration rates were observed, which progressively decreased during storage. A subsequent sharp increase was attributed to microbial growth, highlighting the sensitivity of the system to contamination and its impact on apparent global respiration.
Microbial and Lipid Oxidation‑Driven Spoilage of Fresh Salmon Fillets
Fresh salmon fillets are commonly packaged in high‑barrier systems, either under vacuum (with residual air) or under CO₂‑based modified atmospheres (MAP). During storage, the headspace gas composition evolves significantly over time. Prior to the use of AUTOMATE, these changes were monitored at laboratory scale using instrumented barrier trays containing fresh salmon cubes stored at 8 °C, either untreated or sterilized by γ‑irradiation. Oxygen depletion and carbon dioxide accumulation were observed, with anaerobic conditions reached after several days under air packaging, whereas similar conditions were achieved within hours under CO₂‑MAP. In sterile samples, headspace composition remained largely stable, demonstrating that gas evolution is primarily driven by the complex and dynamic microbial ecosystem associated with the fresh salmon matrix.
AUTOMATE allows the investigation of dynamic spoilage systems
The investigation of dynamic spoilage systems requires strictly controlled, multifactorial experimental conditions, including temperature, humidity, product‑to‑volume ratio, gas composition, microbial ecosystems (native or reconstructed), and the presence or absence of antimicrobial agents. AUTOMATE enables this level of control by operating multiple instrumented cells simultaneously, allowing replication and comparison of aging conditions in otherwise semi‑destructive analyses.
Under quasi‑steady gaseous environments periodically renewed at 4 °C, AUTOMATE allows the monitoring of salmon fillet aging while simultaneously capturing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted over time using sorbent‑based sampling coupled to GC–MS. VOC profiling differentiates clearly between fresh raw and sterile matrices, providing insight into the respective roles of microbial activity and lipid oxidation in quality degradation. The use of all 20 cells is essential to multiply experimental conditions and validate system behavior across realistic storage scenarios