Evaluation of an electronic nose system for characterization of pomegranate varieties

Abstract

The electronic nose (e-nose) would simulate the human sense (smell) to identify and realize the complex aromas by employing a chemical sensors array. One of the most common sensors used in electronic nose systems are metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors. In this research, a low cost e-nose system based on six metal oxide semi-conductor (MOS) sensors as a non-destructive instrument for recognition pomegranate varieties is investigated. Principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) techniques are used for this purpose. The proposed e-nose has a capability of demonstrating a clear difference in aroma fingerprint of pomegranate by PCA and LDA analysis. Using LDA analysis, it is possible to identify and to categorize the difference between pomegranate varieties, and based on the results, the classification accuracy of 95.2% was obtained. Sensor array capabilities for classification of pomegranate varieties using loading analysis were investigated too. Results showed high ability of e-nose for distinguishing between the varieties of pomegranates.