Applications of Machine Olfaction - The Electronic Nose Artificial Olfaction Technology - page 215

8.1.5 Cosmetic Industry
From skin, body, and hair care products including cosmetics, the consumer ten-
dency is toward using naturally resultant products. An E-nose using CP sensors
was developed and used for analysis of off-skin odors [ 37 ].
8.1.6 Military Application
An E-nose using fast gas chromatography (GC) and the surface acoustic wave
(SAW) resonator detector for the detection of explosives is described to detect
VOC from soil and groundwater such as explosives [ 38 ].
M. C. Burl et al. performed a laboratory experiment to study the rapid detection of
very low concentrations of dinitrotoluene (DNT) using a conducting polymer
composite-based E-nose. DNT is an impurity that results during the production of
military grade TNT. DNT has been shown in the soil beyond covered land mines; so
detection of DNT has gained intense attention as a possible tool for demining [ 39 ].
8.1.7 Space Application
A skill to observe the basics of breathing air becomes complicated when trying the
same for maintaining human health in a closed environment. NASA is developing
an E-nose for monitoring capability for use in closed environments in which air is
recycled, such as in space shuttles, in space stations, and in planned space human
environments. A miniature E-nose has been designed and developed at the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA, which was able to detect, identify,
and quantify 10 toxins and relative humidity changes. The E-nose sensing array
includes 32 sensing films made from polymer carbon-black composites [ 40 ].
8.1.8 Pharmaceutical Industry
Flavors are used in pharmaceutical oral solutions and oral suspensions to cover drug
bitterness and to make the formulation more edible. A new approach using a metal
oxide sensor-based electronic-nose system for headspace analysis was explored to
obtain consistent qualitative and quantitative analysis of flavors in a pharmaceutical
formulation. The utilization of the E-nose technique was demonstrated to qualita-
tively differentiate among six common flavoring agents (raspberry, red berry,
strawberry, pineapple, orange, and cherry) in formulations. It can also be used for
packaging selection for the formulation to ensure the flavor shelf life [ 41 ].