Electric nose sniffs out freshness of meat

The ‘electric nose’ (e-nose) comprises a ‘barcode’ that reacts with gases produced by decaying meat, and a ‘barcode reader’ that uses AI to interpret the combination of colours on the barcode, researchers confirmed. By integrating it into a smartphone app, which the team claim can yield results in 30 seconds, the e-nose is portable and predicts meat freshness with 98.5 per cent accuracy.

PEGS sensors aim to cut food waste

Described in a paper published in Advanced Materials, the e-nose aims to reduce food waste and has been tested on commercially packaged chicken, fish, and beef meat samples left to age.

“These barcodes help consumers to save money by ensuring they do not discard products that are still fit for consumption, which also helps the environment. The biodegradable and non-toxic nature of the barcodes also means they could be safely applied in all parts of the food supply chain to ensure food freshness,” said co-lead author Professor Chen Xiaodong, director of the Innovative Centre for Flexible Devices at NTU.