On-line monitoring tools for food processing

For routine analysis, wet chemical methods are often used to determine food quality. In addition, instrumental methods and human sensory analyses have been utilized for the determination of shelf life, food quality and origin. Unfortunately, apart from the time-consuming aspect of these methods, they are sensitive to misinterpretation. In the last decade, new devices, so-called electronic noses, have been described as both a cost-effective and time-saving substitute. However, most of these chemical sensors showed deficiencies in selectivity, sensitivity and reproducibility, and only a few applications are classified to partly replace the classical methods.