Sensing food spoilage by smartphone

When food spoils, ethanol is released. Being able to detect the amount ethanol in the headspace of a food package helps to determine whether the food has spoiled.

The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a sensor that detects ethanol in food packaging headspace and is now searching for a partner in order to commercialise the sensor. VTT says the sensor has potential in other applications such as in alcometers.

Information about the product’s freshness is transmitted via a sensor layer in an RFID tag to the retailer or consumer by means of a reader such as a smartphone. The data can be stored in real time in the cloud, enabling the comparison of food quality with its previous or later condition.

The sensor and RFID tag can be manufactured into a label or sticker and easily attached to a food package. This will make the price of the sensor low enough for use with food packages, VTT says.

The research centre anticipates that the sensor will enable control of food quality throughout the distribution chain, preventing waste caused by spoilage.

The sensor was developed in the European project SusFoFlex - Smart and sustainable food packaging utilizing flexible printed intelligence and materials technologies, EU 7th Framework Programme Agreement No 289829. The invention is currently in the process of being patented.