An electronic nose and application to smell evaluation of food and drink by it

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An electronic nose is equipment imitating the human smell mechanism and evaluates the smell as the whole. The fundamental principle is the combination of the measurement of gas by some gas sensors with which the gas response characteristics differ and the multivariate analysis of information from these sensors. We added the trap tube to the measurement mechanism in a shimadzu electronic nose [FF-2A]. Using this trap tube, we got measurement sensitivity higher than before by concentration of sample gas, and reproducibility and distinctiveness higher than before by removal of humidity. And we introduced the concept of a vector into analysis. Using this analysis method, we realized dividing the smell into quality and strength and expressing them numerically, and realized bringing the strength of a smell close to human sense.We performed evaluation of smell in relation to food and drink field using FF-2A, and in this review, we introduced the example of comparative evaluation of the smell of the Japanese tea with which grades and places of production differ, yogurt, and wraps for foods.