Velcro-like food sensor detects spoilage and contamination
Summary
The U.S. National Science Foundation-funded researchers attached the sensor to a fillet of raw fish they had injected with an E. coli-contaminated solution. They found that the part of the sensor printed with bacteria-sensing bioink turned from blue to red -- a clear sign that the fish was contaminated. The results, published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, are a first step toward developing a new colorimetric sensor that can detect signs of food spoilage and contamination. Such smart food sensors might help head off problems such as the recent salmonella contamination in onions and peaches. "There is a lot of food thats wasted due to lack of proper labeling, and were throwing food away without even knowing if its spoiled," says Benedetto Marelli of the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.