Chapter 1: Sensors for the Food Industry: An Introduction

A sensor is defined as a single or series of instruments that are founded on the utilization of chemical and/or physical principles such as electrochemistry, fluorescence, thermal, surface plasmon resonance, piezo, reflectometry, chemo- and bioluminescence, as well as optical sensors (e.g. visible and vibrational spectroscopy). More specifically, the term chemical sensor refers to or describes a small appliance that is capable of delivering instantaneous information about the chemicals (e.g. concentration) and other compounds present in either a food sample or food system throughout the different steps of the manufacturing, storage, process (e.g. on-line) and marketing of the food. This chapter presents a summary of the main characteristics of the most frequently used and novel sensors applied by the food industry to measure and monitor issues related to food contamination and spoilage, aroma and taste, among other applications.