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Title: NON-DESTRUCTIVE QUALITY SCREENING OF TOMATO FRUIT USING "ELECTRIC NOSE" TECHNOLOGY

Author
item MAUL, F - HORT SCI DEPT, UNIV OF FL
item SARGENT, S - HORT SCI DEPT, UNIV OF FL
item HUBER, D - HORT SCI DEPT, UNIV OF FL
item BALABAN, M - FOOD SCI DEPT, UNIV OF FL
item LUZURIAGA, D - FOOD SCI DEPT, UNIV OF FL
item Baldwin, Elizabeth - Liz

Submitted to: Proceedings Florida State Horticultural Science
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/13/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The "electronic nose" is a group of sensors that put out signals in response to volatile compounds that exist as a gas in the space above a sample, much like the way a human nose detects certain volatile compounds as a sense of smell. Volatiles bind to receptors in the nose of humans and to sensors in the "electronic nose". Human and "nose" receptors/sensors then send signals to the brain and to a computer, respectively. The difference in the signal output from the "nose" sensors can be used to discriminate between tomatoes that were harvested too early, that were chilled, or that were bruised internally compared to normal samples when no visual sign is apparent.

Technical Abstract: A study was conducted to assess the ability of an "electronic nose" sensor array to non-destructively identify and classify intact tomato fruit exposed to different harvesting and postharvest handling treatments, based on volatile profiles. The electronic nose consisted of twelve conducting polymer sensors and used a multivariate discriminant pattern recognition procedure. The electronic nose separated samples based on harvest maturity, storage temperature and presence of internal bruising.