Monitoring of food spoilage with electronic nose: potential applications for smart homes

In ambient-assisted living environments, advanced sensors are used to detect potential problems that may affect the occupant. For a range of unsafe living conditions, characteristic odours arise that can provide early warning of a problem in the dwelling. In this paper, we investigate the concept of smell monitoring in the smart home environment, with particular attention paid to food spoilage. Using a commercially available electronic nose (e-nose) based on a metal-oxide sensor array, the odours associated with five common foods were captured over a seven day period. All foods were readily discriminated at the beginning of the measurement period. However, as the food spoiled, the odour profiles changed significantly. In several cases, the changes for a given food exhibited a clear trajectory in the PCA space. This preliminary work suggests that e-nose technology is a promising candidate for incorporation in the smart home. For widespread adoption, however, future e-nose development must continue to improve current shortcomings such as instability, user intervention, and high cost.