Equipment and infrastructure


The 100 m2 facility of the Centro de Aromas is equipped with high-tech scientific instruments for analysis, sensory evaluation, and processes.


Furthermore it has access to cutting-edge equipment and infrastructure at the Biotechnology and Fermentations Laboratory, at the Chemical Engineering and Bioprocesses Department of the Universidad Católica de Chile.



Instrumental laboratory

  • Two gas chromatographs coupled with mass spectrometry detectors (GC-MS), Hewlett Packard series HP6890, with mass selective detectors series 5973 and 5972. They are equipped with NIST-EPA-NIH mass spectral libraries with more than 130000 mass spectra. This allows the identification of volatile and semivolatile compounds from the sample comparing the experimental spectra with the recorded library samples. Both instruments are equipped with autosamplers for liquid, SPME, and head-space injection techniques.

  • One gas chromatograph equipped with mass and enhanced flame photometric detectors (GC-MS/FPD), Agilent Technologies series 7890A, equipped with Inert MSD with triple-Axis Detector 5975C (GC-MS) and a Flame Photometric detector (FPD). Samples can be injected either on the split/splitless injector, or the programmable temperature vaporizing injector (PTV).

  • One gas chromatograph equipped with an ion trap mass spectrometric mass-mass detector (GC/MS/MS), Varian series CP-3800 and Saturn series 2200 detector.  It also allows to switch between different modes of ionization (EI and CI) during the run, and the refragmentation modes can be combined (MS-MS, or MSn, or seelcted ion storage, SIS). It is equipped with the NIST 2.0 mass spectral library.

  • One gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector (FID) coupled to a Sniffing 9000 port (GC-O), Hewlett Packard series HP6890. This tool allows the aromatic deconstruction of the compounds in a sample.  The state-of-the-art sniffing port is controlled by voice recognition software.
Laboratory for sensory evaluation and consumer preference:

  • Modern laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art technology. It is divided in two areas, one for sample preparation (equipped with a kitchen, oven, refrigerator, etc.), and one for evaluation with eight independent cubicles (with a computerized system for data acquisition with Compusense Five). Both areas feature temperature and moisture control, acoustic isolation, positive pressure, and odor extraction.

    During the complete training process of the evaluation panel, the use of software avoids error sources and reduces response times to our clients.

    Laboratory of biotechnology and fermentations:

The Centro de Aromas is associated with the Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Fermentaciones at the Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Bioprocesos from the Escuela de Ingeniería (School of Engineering) of the Universidad Católica de Chile, for research and development in bioprocess and biotechnology engineering. This laboratory has the following laboratory-scale equipment:


  • Fully equipped fermentators, equipped with on-line monitoring systems for O2, CO2, and pH.

  • Tangential ultrafiltration systems, pilot-scale filtration system with cartridges, and one spinning cone column (SCC) with a capacity of 100 l/h.

  • UV-Visible spectrophotometer, Shimadzu, High-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC), Merck-Hitachi, with UV, refraction index (RI), fluorescence, and diode array (DAD) detectors, coupled with an autosampler, and {equipos para análisis de proteomas} (bi-dimensional electrophoresis chamber, one-simensional electrophoresis mini chambers).