Electronic Nose, Tongue and Eye: Their Usefulness for the Food Industry

Abstract

Background: The electronic nose, tongue, and eye are futuristic technologies that have been used for many years; they have been gaining market in different types of industries and can increasingly be found in the food area; their function is to determine sensory characteristics (smell, aroma, and flavor) and objective visuals, without the subjectivity that can be represented by sensory analysis by people (the study that can complement the analysis of machines, without being exclusive). Objectives: Find the main generalities of these mechanisms, their sensors, software, mechanism of action, and applications within the food industry. Methods: A search was carried out in the main databases of indexed articles, with terms that allowed collecting the necessary information, and 89 articles were used that met different inclusion criteria. Results: The main outcomes were to understand the operation of each of these technologies, what their main components are, and how they can be linked in the beer, wine, oil, fruit, vegetable, dairy, etc. industry to determine their quality, safety, and fraud. Conclusions: The use of electronic nose, tongue, and eye is found in more food industries every day. Its technology continues to evolve; the future of sensory analysis will undoubtedly apply these mechanisms due to the reliability, speed, and reproducibility of the results.

Keywords

• electronic senses
• volatile compounds
• food technology
• sensory analysis
• quality control