Technological innovations and applications of human olfaction analysis

Olfaction appeared much early than other senses for avoiding danger, seeking food and communication. Olfactory analysis is the key point in some industrial production processes and unique technological fields. Human olfaction plays an important role in real-time detection, olfactory assessment, threshold determination etc. Although, the demands for multiple objective analytical methods and precise quantitative analysis could boost the development of sensor-based instrumental olfaction, the research of human olfactory detection is the source and foundation of the artificial olfaction and electronic nose. This review summarizes the analytical applications of human olfaction and also presents the promising techniques for olfactory analysis. In addition, the combination of olfaction and analytical instruments is systemically discussed. Finally, the bionic sensors based on human olfaction are also reviewed in this work. With better understanding of analytical techniques of human olfaction, new methods of olfactory analysis could be discovered, enlightening the methodology of sensory analysis and the development of artificial olfaction.