Applications and Advances in Electronic-Nose Technologies

Electronic-nose devices have received considerable attention in the field of sensor technology during the past twenty years, largely due to the discovery of numerous applications derived from research in diverse fields of applied sciences. Recent applications of electronic nose technologies have come through advances in sensor design, material improvements, software innovations and progress in microcircuitry design and systems integration. The invention of many new e-nose sensor types and arrays, based on different detection principles and mechanisms, is closely correlated with the expansion of new applications. Electronic noses have provided a plethora of benefits to a variety of commercial industries, including the agricultural, biomedical, cosmetics, environmental, food, manufacturing, military, pharmaceutical, regulatory, and various scientific research fields. Advances have improved product attributes, uniformity, and consistency as a result of increases in quality control capabilities afforded by electronic-nose monitoring of all phases of industrial manufacturing processes. This paper is a review of the major electronic-nose technologies, developed since this specialized field was born and became prominent in the mid 1980s, and a summarization of some of the more important and useful applications that have been of greatest benefit to man

Portable odor detection device for quality inspection of Alaska pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2006This study investigated the ability of a portable hand-held electronic nose (EN) to detect spoilage of whole and canned Alaska pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) using ethanol as a spoilage indicator for canned salmon. Fish held in seawater (14°C) and in slush ice (1°C) were sampled and canned at various intervals of time up to 3 and 16 days of storage, respectively. The EN measured volatile compounds emanating from the gill and belly cavity of whole fish, in conjunction with sensory and microbial analyses. The EN and sensory evaluations were conducted on the canned products. In addition, static headspace gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was used to quantify ethanol concentrations in canned products. The EN sniffed the belly cavity and distinguished the degrees of spoilage of whole pink salmon with 85-92% correct classification for both storage temperatures. However, the EN was unable to distinguish the spoilage in canned salmon, regardless of original storage temperature. Ethanol concentrations in salmon cans produced from fish stored at 14°C correlated well with results from sensory evaluations, but this correlation was not observed for fish stored at 1°C. Ethanol was a suitable quality indicator for canned salmon when raw material had been stored at 14°C.1. General Introduction -- 2. Portable Electronic Nose for detection of spoiling Alaska Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) -- 3. Alaska Pink Salmon (Onchorhynchus gorbuscha) spoilage and ethanol incidence in the Canned Product -- 4. General conclusions -- Appendices -- Appendix A : Electronic Nose (Z-Nose 4200) -- Appendix B : Supporting information for chapter 2 and 3