When reaching into the fridge for meat or smoked fish that has been there for a while, we are used to checking their condition – we simply smell them before use. We assess the quality of a product through the “image” of its scent, clearly remembering the smell of a fresh product versus a spoiled one.
A simple, easy, and quick quality test. However, the result is not always certain. When we have a cold, we are forced to ask another, healthy nose for help. But with the help of our nose, it is possible to assess not only the quality of products. Using it, we can also distinguish substances, even those resulting from complex chemical processes, e.g., gasoline from kerosene. But can we distinguish diesel fuel from the now-famous heating oil? I don’t think so. However, an electronic nose will do it effortlessly, just as easily as our nose distinguished gasoline from kerosene. The human nose, as we know, does not perform an analysis of individual scent components that would result in data representing, for example, chemical composition. The nose generates an “image” of a scent, which for various reasons has been memorized by us. Knowledge of many such images is part of our expertise, which we meticulously use in daily practice, whether protecting our body from consuming dangerous items or choosing cosmetics. Sometimes, however, the nose works professionally, acting as a classifier, quality controller, etc. Here, however, its flaws are revealed. The nose (like the entire organism) is subject to aging processes, can be susceptible to suggestion, can be tired, or even insensitive to certain smells. In other words, it may not be objective.
These weaknesses, human defiance, as well as the need for standardization or cataloging of scents, laid the foundation for the concept of the electronic nose, which today, like everything in the era of ubiquitous electronics, is preceded by the letter ‘e’, giving it the name e-nose. The beginning of the e-nose history dates back to 1982 and originates from the University of Warwick.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 2001/1.