Smart labels spot spoilt food

Researchers at Clarkson University, led by Professor Silvana Andreescu, have developed a sensor that can detect food spoilage. Rather than relying on the “best before” date, the “smart label” is a low-cost, portable, paper-based sensor that can determine when food or cosmetics spoil.

The sensors catch and bind the predetermined compounds to distinguish change by using nanostructures. The paper-based device changes colour or electrical charge to display the extent of the product’s contamination.

“If the target is present, the colour or electrical current changes,” said Andreescu, Professor of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science and Egon Matijevic Chair of Chemistry. “These changes indicate if the compound is present and in what quantity, and if there are changes in the initial composition.”

Andreescu and her team have been developing this technology over the past 10 years, with their original focus on detecting antioxidants in tea and wine. So far, they have researched into a portable sensor for searching for natural sources of antioxidants and a sensor to look for fungal toxin.

She suggested that these first-generation sensors could have wide-reaching applications, stating “this platform technology can be applied many different ways”.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the team is currently working on their second-generation sensors to extend the application range, which includes pesticides, adulterants and markers for freshness or spoilage in various stages of testing.

“We would really like to get this technology into the hands of consumers and continue to expand it to measure other toxins and pathogens,” said Andreescu.

According to the researchers, this technology has the ability to transform the commercial marketplace, informing consumers when they should be disposing of spoiled products and preventing them from eating out-of-date food.