Aquaculture

The project aimed to develop portable membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) technology for real-time water quality monitoring in aquaculture. Its main goal was to design, build, assemble, and test a novel membrane sample inlet that could be integrated with a portable mass spectrometer to detect important water quality parameters directly on site. The technology focused particularly on compounds such as geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, which are responsible for unpleasant taste and odor in fish and were mainly analyzed in laboratories using GC–MS. By enabling rapid, on-site detection without complex sample preparation, the proposed MIMS system was intended to provide fish farms with an early-warning tool for water quality deterioration, reduce reliance on costly laboratory testing, and support better management of aquaculture production. The project also included testing different membrane materials, such as PDMS and polysulfone, and integrating a high-sensitivity ion source to improve detection of target compounds in water.