Toward the Development of Combined Artificial Sensing Systems for Food Quality Evaluation: A Review on the Application of Data Fusion of Electronic Noses, Electronic Tongues and Electronic Eyes

Abstract

Devices known as electronic noses (ENs), electronic tongues (ETs), and electronic eyes (EEs) have been developed in recent years in the in situ study of real matrices with little or no manipulation of the sample at all. The final goal could be the evaluation of overall quality parameters such as sensory features, indicated by the “smell”, “taste”, and “color” of the sample under investigation or in the quantitative detection of analytes. The output of these sensing systems can be analyzed using multivariate data analysis strategies to relate specific patterns in the signals with the required information. In addition, using suitable data-fusion techniques, the combination of data collected from ETs, ENs, and EEs can provide more accurate information about the sample than any of the individual sensing devices. This review’s purpose is to collect recent advances in the development of combined ET, EN, and EE systems for assessing food quality, paying particular attention to the different data-fusion strategies applied.