Advances in Electronic - Nose Technologies
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G.Sujatha, N. Dhivya, K. Ayyadurai, D.Thyagarajan / International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com Vol. 2, Issue4, July-August 2012, pp.1541-1546 Advances In Electronic - Nose Technologies * G.Sujatha1, N. Dhivya2, K. Ayyadurai3 and D.Thyagarajan4 1Assistant Professor (Electrical Engineering), College of Food and Dairy Technology, Koduvalli, Chennai-52. 2PG Student (M.Tech, Food Technology), College of Food and Dairy echnology,Koduvalli,Chennai-52. 3Retd. Professor and Head, Department of Veterinary Biochemistry, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai 7 4Dean, Faculty of Food Sciences, College of Food and Dairy Technology, Koduvalli, Chennai-52. ABSTRACT: Food quality analysis is one among the most array of electronic chemical sensors with partial important, complex and challenging discipline in the specificity and appropriate pattern recognition food sector. Due to its strict interaction with the system, capable of recognizing simple or complex quality of life it is extremely important to improve odors”. the performances of the methods in the field of food quality analysis. Now a days electronic noses have 2. HISTORICAL MILESTONES IN provided a plethora of benefits to a variety of DEVELOPMENT OF E- nose commercial industries, including the agricultural, The first real tool for measuring aromas was biomedical, cosmetics, environmental, food, developed by Hartman in 1954. The sensing element manufacturing, military, pharmaceutical, regulatory, was a microelectrode, a simple platinum wire of 0.8 and various scientific research fields using mainly mm in diameter, which measured the flow of current metal oxide(MOS), metal oxide field effect by a sensitive milli voltmeter. Metal oxide transistor(MOSFET), acoustic (bulk (BAW) and semiconductor gas sensors (MOS) were first used surface (SAW) wave) and polymer sensor. These commercially. In 1960‟s MOS were used as sensors has unique advantage of providing fast results household gas alarms in Japan under the names of by identifying, characterizing and quantifying the Taguchi or Figaro. Moncrieff (1961) worked on the target analytes of interests present in the flavor concept that different coatings materials, such as emitted by foods without destructing them. All these polyvinyl chloride, gelatin, and vegetable fats could sensors are highly sensitive and inexpensive. be capable of providing different and complementary However, these sensors face a numerous problems data for the discrimination of simple and complex during operations in different aspects. Among the aromas. His studies were limited to the use of a single four sensors, polymer based on nano material may temperature-sensitive resistor, but postulated that an overcome the problems encountered by the array with six thermistors, provided with six different environment including the temperature and humidity. coatings, could discriminate large numbers of different aromas. The principle of BAW sensors was Key Words: E-nose, metal oxide, acoustic and introduced by King in 1964 with his Piezoelectric polymer sensors, gas sensor, aroma detection. Sorption Detector. Buck et al. (1965) studied the modulation of conductivity as an answer to 1. INTRODUCTION differentiating aromas bouquets, while Dravnieks and Now, many of the food industries are Trotter (1965) used the modulation of contact looking forward for the non destructive food quality potential to monitor aromas. These studies have been analysis techniques. The emerging non destructive considered as a first approach to aromas evaluation food quality analysis techniques are capable of because of the lack of analytical instruments. The evaluating the finished products quality by analyzing hydrogen sensitive PdMOS (palladium metal oxide their sensory outputs which may be in the form of semiconductor) device was developed in 1973 by a flavor, odor, color, texture and taste. Electronic Nose group of Swedish researchers (Lundström et al., (E - nose) seems to be a new electronic device which 1975, 1990 and 1993). The first gas sensor based on a can report on the finished products quality by SAW oscillator was introduced by Wohltjen and analyzing the head space gas which is generally Dessy (1979). Conducting organic polymer (CP) composed of the volatile organic chemicals that sensors have been under development for contributes to the typical flavor for the different food approximately 10 years (Hodgins, 1997) since materials. 1990‟s. CP sensors rely on changes of resistance by The term “electronic nose” was coined in the adsorption of gas. 1988 by Gardner and Bartlett, (1994) who later defined it as “an instrument which comprises an 1541 | P a g e G.Sujatha, N. Dhivya, K. Ayyadurai, D.Thyagarajan / International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com Vol. 2, Issue4, July-August 2012, pp.1541-1546 Table: 1 Sensor Types, sensitivity and their detection principle S.No Sensor Type Sensitive Material Detection Principle 1 Metal Oxides Semi-conducting Doped semi- Resistance change (MOS, Taguchi) conducting metal oxides (SnO2, GaO) 2 Metal Oxide Semiconductor field-effect sensors Catalytic metals Electric field change (MOSFET) 3 Conducting polymer sensors Modified Conducting Resistance change Polymers 4 Acoustic sensors: Surface and Organic or inorganic Mass change (frequency Bulk acoustic wave (SAW and, BAW) film layers shift) 3. BIOLOGICAL AND ARTIFICIAL The E - nose often consists of non-selective OLFACTION sensors that interact with volatile molecules that The human olfactory system is more result in a physical or chemical change that sends a complex and contains thousands of receptors that signal to a computer which makes a classification bind odor molecules and can detect some odors at based on a calibration and training process leading to parts per trillion levels (Breer,1997) and include pattern recognition (Fig. 1). The non-selectivity of between 10 and 100 million receptors (Deisingh et the sensors results in many possibilities for unique al., 2007). Apparently some of the receptors in the signal combinations, patterns or fingerprints olfactory mucus can bind more than one odor (Baldwin et al., 2011).The greatest advantage of molecule and in some cases one odor molecule can using E - nose is that it can be calibrated to be bind more than one receptor. This results in a mind- reliably consistent and can give objective data for boggling amount of combinations that send unique important functions like quality and safety control. signal patterns to the human brain. The brain then These instruments can also test samples that are unfit interprets these signals and makes a judgment and/or for human consumption. The disadvantage of the E - classification to identify the substance consumed, nose is that they are affected by the environment based in part, on previous experiences or neural including temperature and humidity, which can cause network pattern recognition. sensor drift. Fig: 1 Sequence of events that occurs in order for chemical recognition in air phase compounds to be detected in both biological and artificial olfactory system (Kauer et al., 2003) and/or chemical interactions occurs when volatile 4. E - nose SENSORS compounds flow over the sensor. A dynamic All types of sensors exhibit interactions with equilibrium develops as volatile compounds are the gas to be measured so that a series of physical constantly being adsorbed and desorbed at the sensor surface (Shiers,P., 1995).The ideal sensors to be 1542 | P a g e G.Sujatha, N. Dhivya, K. Ayyadurai, D.Thyagarajan / International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com Vol. 2, Issue4, July-August 2012, pp.1541-1546 integrated in an electronic nose should fulfill the metal film. To shift the selectivity of a metal oxide following criteria (Demarne, et al. 1992, Mari and film towards different chemical compounds the film Barbi 1992, Bartlett, et al. 1993, Hodgins,1995 and is doped with noble catalytic metals (e.g. platinum or 1997): high sensitivity towards chemical compounds; palladium), or the working temperature is changed low sensitivity towards humidity and temperature; within the range of 50–400°C. Although the selectivity to respond to different compounds present selectivity is also greatly influenced by the particle in the headspace of the sample; high stability; high size of the polycrystalline semiconductor, the MOS reproducibility and reliability; short reaction and sensors are usually less selective than other recovery time; durable; easy calibration; easy to technologies such as CP, BAW, SAW or MOSFET. process data output. Various kinds of gas sensors are However MOS sensors are extremely sensitive to available, but only four technologies are currently ethanol (Mielle, 1996 and Wünsche et al, 1995). used in commercialized electronic noses: metal oxide semiconductors (MOS); metal oxide semiconductor 4.2Metal oxide semiconductor field-effect field effect transistors (MOSFET); conducting transistor sensors (MOSFET) organic polymers (CP); piezoelectric crystals (bulk A MOSFET sensor comprises three layers, a acoustic wave = BAW). Others such as fibre optics silicon semiconductor, a silicon oxide insulator and a (Dickinson, et al.1996, Nakagawa, et al.1997, catalytic metal (usually palladium, platinum, iridium Eguchi, 1992 and Sutter and Jurs 1997), or rhodium), also called the gate. A normal transistor electrochemical (Mari, and Barbi 1992 and operates by means of three contacts,