Design and testing of an electronic nose sensitive to the aroma of truffles

An “electronic nose” based on a low-cost array of gas-sensors is described. It is designed for the detection of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emanated from samples of the ascomecyte Tuber or truffle. These fungi have highly appreciated gastronomical and nutritive merits and they own a variable characteristic aroma depending on their stage of maturation and place of origin. The results show that an intelligent odor-discriminating system based on a gas sensor array can contribute to the identification and classification of truffles.