Application of electronic nose systems for assessing quality of medicinal and aromatic plant products: A review

Quality assurance has always been an important issue in the production and utilization of medicinal and aromatic plants. Most medicinal plants have aromatic characteristics due to the presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that can be analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. More modern techniques use sensors along with signal processing and advanced data processing algorithms. Electronic noses (e-noses), are instruments designed to mimic the sense of smell found in biological systems. E-noses contain numerous types of gas sensors that interact with odor molecules to produce electronic signals. Then, the sensor responses are sent to a computer system that uses multivariate data analysis methods to distinguish differences in the data based on the VOCs in the sample headspace. This paper provides a review of the applications of e-nose technologies for assessing the quality and safety of commercially-available medicinal plant products. Advantages and limitations of these systems are also covered.