Electronic Nose Inspects Cheese, Hints At Human Sens...( gas chromatography a technique that...),Health

gas chromatography, a technique that separates gases into constituent chemicals. The analysis revealed that each cheese contained different amounts of four fatty acids. The researchers then fitted a commercially-available electronic nose with an artificial neural network that trained the device to scan the cheeses for these key fatty acids.

The electronic nose correctly discriminated among the cheeses. It noted that the cheese which panelists described as especially sharp smelled very different from the one they described as especially bland. The device also agreed with the human panelists that the other three cheeses -- one fat-free, one reduced-fat, and one sharp Swiss variety -- all contained similar amounts of the volatile compounds and would taste virtually the same.

Based on these preliminary results, Harper and Jou decided that the electronic nose differentiated between scents well enough to act as a research or quality-assurance tool. "As long as human panels set the standards, then the electronic nose provides a good basis for acceptance or rejection," said Harper.

The researchers will continue this work, but so far they have observed in the machine a situation analogous to the way in which humans experience a scent -- in stages.

"A good human sensory panel will pick
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Contact: W. James Harper
Harper.9@osu.edu
(614) 292-6281
Ohio State University
30-Sep-1998

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