Tomato quality evaluation using electronic nose systems to complement sensory analysis

This paper compares and relates electronic nose systems and sensory analysis for tomato aroma evaluation. Eight tomato cultivars were selected and assessed on days 4, 7 and 14 after harvest. They were harvested at the red-ripe stage of maturity. Descriptive sensory analysis was performed by seven trained panellists. For instrumental analysis a quartz microbalance electronic nose (QMBE-nose) and a mass spectrometry based electronic nose (MSE-nose) were used. Initially, principal component analysis was performed separately on the instrumental and sensory data sets to explore the structure of each data set. Sensors and signals of the QMBE-nose and MSE-nose, respectively, were then further studied to investigate their relation with the sensory profile of tomato cultivars, using generalized procrustes analysis. The results show the potential of both electronic nose systems to complement routine sensory analysis of tomatoes.