E-sensing systems for shelf life evaluation: A review on applications to fresh food of animal origin

The quality of fresh food of animal origin, as meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs, is pivotal for consumers and producers; however, due to the action of microorganisms, enzymes, and oxidation during storage, fresh foods are subject to spoilage. Chemical and sensory parameters are shelf life indicators requiring innovative evaluation methods, as those currently used, are expensive, laborious and rather technical. E-sensing devices, overcome many of these drawbacks. This paper overviews the shelf life assessment of fresh food of animal origin by esensing. The fundamentals of electronic eye, electronic nose, electronic tongue and data analysis are reviewed in the first part, whereas their application for shelf life evaluation, considering them individually or in combination by data fusion, are considered in the second part.