The FoodFresh sensor provides a comprehensive solution to the detection of incipient food spoilage, being highly sensitive to gaseous decay products of fruit, vegetables, milk and milk products, fish and meat.
Fruit and vegetable sugars ferment to form ethanol, to which the sensor is highly sensitive.
Fruits such as bananas release ethylene during ripening: the sensor first catalytically converts ethylene to ethanol.
Milk souring produces lactic acid: the lactic acid molecule contains an alcoholic O-H group.
The FoodFresh sensor is also sensitive to primary amines such as putrescine and cadaverine. which are reaction products of the spoilage of meat and fish.
The sensor is of the two electrode type, compact, fast responding, low cost, and consumes no power. It ideally lends itself to a traffic light classification whereby green would be all clear, yellow a warning of incipient spoilage, and red a confirmation that spoilage had occurred, and could, for example, be incorporated directly into a refrigerator or otherwise in a free standing device placed within it.
For further information, samples, and a test report, contact me at walter@dart-sensors.com