Portable Sensor Detects Rotting Meat

Apr-18-15 A portable sensor able to detect rotting meat could help reduce both food waste and incidents of food poisoning.

Created by a team from MIT, the sensor is made up of chemically modified nanotubes that could be embedded into packaging to offer a more accurate, real-time expiration date. In a process similar to other sensors created by the team, the carbon nanotubes of the meat sensor were modified with a metalloporphyrin with cobalt at the center. The metalloporphyrin will bind to the biogenic amines given off by rotting meat, causing the nanotube's electrical resistance to rise in a measurable way.

The device uses very little power, and could eventually be incorporated into a platform created at the same lab that could allow a regular smartphone to interpret the data from the nanotube sensors.

More Info about this Invention:

[CO.UK]
[NEWSOFFICE.MIT]

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