不是每个人拍拍西瓜或闻闻菠萝就能知道它是否成熟了。德国科研人员日前开发出一种高科技仪器，可以马上“闻”出水果的成熟度。不过其目标用户并不是普通消费者，而是大宗水果批发商。
德国弗劳恩霍夫分子生物学和应用生态学研究所日前发表公报说，该所与德国其他一些科研单位合作研制了这种特殊的仪器，其核心技术是用金属氧化物气敏传感器去检测水果释放出的特殊气味，最后分析判断出水果的成熟度。
这种仪器的具体工作过程是，先用高分子分离柱将待测水果的气味提纯，再让带有这一气味的气体通过温度达300至400摄氏度的传感器，传感器内的金属氧化物可与气味进行反应，最后仪器根据反应状态自动分析出水果的成熟度。
初步试验显示，这种仪器与食品实验室中专用测量仪的检测效果一样精确。研究人员表示，尽管这种仪器上市后售价将达到上千欧元，但要比食品实验室的测量仪便宜许多，且效率更高。
译文:
Germany Develops an Instrument Can Smell the Maturity of Fruits
Some people can know the maturity of the fruits by flapping a watermelon or smelling a pineapple, but some can’t. German scientific researcher developed a high-tech instrument recently, it can detect the maturity of fruits by smelling immediately. Their target client is not the common consumers but a large amount of wholesalers.
The German Frauen Hoff molecular biology and applied ecology institute issued an official journal recently, the institute co-operated with some scientific research unit of Germany for developed this special instrument. The core technology is using the metal oxides gas sensor to detect the special smell of the fruit releasing, then finally analyze out the maturity of fruits.
The concrete working process of the instrument is using the macromolecule separator column to purifies the fruits which to be detected first, then make the gas through the sensor at 300-400 degrees temperature, the metal oxides inside the sensor can react with the smell, at last the instrument will according to the reaction status to analyze the maturity of the fruits.
Preliminary test shows, the detect result of this instrument is as accurate as the special admeasuring apparatus in the food library. “Even though the market price of this instrument will be thousands of Euros, but is so more cheaper than the admeasuring apparatus in food library, and has more efficiency.” Expressed by the researcher.