ABSTRACT
The composition and properties of raw materials and processed foods are important for food quality and safety. Food quality depends on color, aroma, flavor, texture, nutrition, and microbial content [1]. Aroma and appearance are the most important parameters the consumer perceives initially in food. Aroma is analyzed traditionally using sensory or gas chromatographic methods. However, these are time consuming, expensive, and require sample preparation. There is growing interest in new rapid methods. Electronic noses (e-noses) offer several advantages such as high sensitivity, quickness, simplicity, lower cost, nondestructive operation, and little or no sample preparation compared to traditional methods. The e-nose concept as a chemical array sensor system for odor classification was presented for the first time by Persaud and Dodd [2] and e-noses started to appear in the market in the early 1990s. During the last two decades, the uses, capabilities, and applications of e-noses have increased in food science. Unlike traditional analytical methods, e-nose technology does not provide information on the nature of the analyzed product; it only gives a digital fingerprint
which can be analyzed chemometrically [3]. E-noses have been used mostly in the assessment of food properties, detection of adulteration, prediction of sensory properties, and classification of different food matrices. Whether the e-nose could be used in measurement of quality for specific food product, the type of e-nose to be selected, and the suitable data analysis method are general considerations that need to be evaluated before applying them in the food area [4]. This chapter reviews the technology, available sensors used in the instrument, commercial e-noses, and data analysis techniques regarding responses taken from the e-nose. Practical applications in foods are discussed in the following sections. Future trends in e-nose technology are described.
