Biomimetic-based odor and taste sensing systems to food quality and safety characterization: An overview on basic principles and recent achievements

The appreciation of food is based on the perception of many senses; in fact for a total estimation the human senses are involved. Biomimetics as the 'abstraction of good design from nature' is to analyze and tap nature's huge reservoir of potential innovative solutions. These biological solutions are cost-efficient, multi-functional and environmentally friendly. Human sense inspired sensor technologies such as multi arrays of sensors are of interest to food industry for food control and sensory evaluation. These systems mimic the human sense to provide a decision on final food quality and safety. Nanotechnology techniques and biosensors are the recent advances in these systems. Odor and taste sensors are interestingly under consideration to food engineers and scientist for application in food processing tasks such as drying, packaging, sorting and so on. Soft computing together with computer development is the promising outlook to enhance the performance of these sensing systems to food quality and safety characterization. This paper deals with some aspects of such systems (odor sensor and taste sensor) and some of more recent applications and advances for food control in food research and technology are discussed as well. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.