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McMaster creates packaging tray to detect food contamination
Researchers at McMaster University have created a packaging tray to detect when contaminants are present in raw or cooked food before it is even unwrapped.
In an announcement made Tuesday, the school says the new technology will allow for producers, retailers and consumers to be able to see in real time if Salmonella is present in foods.
The hope is to help in reducing food waste by knowing immediately what products would need to be recalled and destroyed.
Co-lead author on the paper Akansha Prasad says the team behind it hopes it will “save lives, money and food waste”.
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Developers of the tray say that it has been made with built-in sensors that allow for users to scan the bottom of the package with a cell phone to immediately know when food is contaminated.
Similar technology in package-based-based sensors has been developed and in use in other areas throughout the world, with its use becoming common in Japan and elsewhere.
The team responsible for the new technology says that this is only the beginning and they are already working on creating a tray with multiple sensors to detect different pathogens beyond Salmonella all at once.
