Microbial and sensory assessment of milk with an electronic nose

An electronic nose (e-nose) was used to assess milk odor inoculated with Pseudomonas fluorescens or Bacillus coagulans, and odors were correlated with microbial loads and sensory scores. Sterile whole, reduced-fat, and fat-free milk were inoculated, stored at 1.7, 7.2, and 12.8degreesC, and evaluated at d 0, 3, 5, 7, and 10 by e-nose and sensory panel. Aerobic plate counts were performed. E-nose readings, microbial counts, and sensory data were analyzed using discriminant function analysis. The e-nose discriminated differences in odor due to microbial load and sensory data. This may lead to a rapid method for determining sensory evaluation and microbial loads of milk.