Why an electronic nose in food analysis?
The complexity of most food aromas makes it difficult to characterise them by conventional flavour analysis techniques such as gas chromatography or gas chromatography olfactometry [2]. However, the alternative approach of sensory analysis by a panel of experts is a costly process since it requires trained people who can work for only relatively short periods of time; additional problems are the subjectivity of human response to odours and the variability between individuals. Hence, the need for an instrument such as the electronic nose, whose strengths include high sensitivity, and correlation with data from human sensory panels for several applications in food analysis [3]. Principles of electronic noses An electronic nose is a machine that is designed to detect and discriminate complex odours using a sensor array. This consists of broadly tuned (non-specific) sensors that are treated with a variety of odour-sensitive biological or chemical materials. An odour stimulus generates a ch
