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An Indian researcher in the US has developed a small and low-cost acidity sensor that can tell in real time when food has spoiled. The <keyword id="16846257" type="General" weightage="90" keywordseo="flexible-ph-sensor" source="Orion">flexible pH sensor</keyword> is just two millimetres in length and 10 millimetres wide, making it possible to incorporate the device into current food packaging methods, such as plastic wrapping. Industries typically use much bulkier metres - roughly one inch long by five inches tall - to measure pH levels or how acidic or basic the food is, so they are not suitable to be included in every package of food to monitor its freshness in real time. "The pH sensors we developed work like a small wireless radio-frequency identification device - similar to what you find inside your luggage tag after it has been checked at airports," said Khengdauliu Chawang, a PhD student at the Southern Methodist University in Texas, US, who created the device. "Every time a food package with our device passes a checkpoint, such as <keyword id="16846077" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="shipping-logistics" botkeyword="" source="ET" sourcekeytype="COMPANY" meta.keywordsubtype="EQ" meta.aliasname="shipping logistics" meta.entityname="Shreyas Shipping &amp; Logistics Ltd." meta.entityid="8578" meta.seoname="shreyas-shipping-logistics-ltd">shipping logistics</keyword> centres, harbours, gates or supermarkets' entrances, they could get scanned and the data could be sent back to a server tracking their pH levels," Chawang said in a statement by the university. Such configuration, Chawang said, would allow continuous pH monitoring and accurately detect freshness limits along the entire journey -- from farms to consumers' houses. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, roughly 1.3 billion metric tonnes of food produced around the world goes to waste every year. Creating the device was personal for Chawang, who is originally from Nagaland where the population relies heavily on agricultural crops. "Food waste in Nagaland means undernourished children and extra fieldwork for the elderly to compensate for the loss," Chawang said. "The need to prevent food waste motivated me to think of a device that is not expensive or labour-intensive to develop, is disposable and can detect freshness levels." Not only does food waste contribute to food insecurity and lost profits to food manufacturers, but food wastage is also bad for the environment, the researcher noted. Food freshness level is directly correlated to pH levels, Chawang explained. For example, food with a pH level higher than the normal range indicates spoiled food, as fungi and bacteria thrive in high-pH environments. Sudden pH changes in food storage during production and shipping can indicate possible food spoilage. The pH level is measured by the concentration of hydrogen ions found in a substance or solution. The latest pH sensor has successfully been tested on food items like fish, fruits, milk and honey, Chawang said. The sensor is made with a very small amount of biocompatible materials and uses printing technologies on flexible films. "The entire process is similar to printing newspapers. The processing does not require expensive equipment or semiconductor cleanroom environment. Thus, the costs are low and make the sensor disposable," said J C Chiao, a professor at the university, who helped in the development of the device. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer's (IEEE) Big Ideas competition at the 2022 IEEE Sensors Conference honoured Chawang with the Best Women-owned Business Pitch for her invention, the university added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/milk-prices-spiked-in-last-6-months-and-will-continue-to-increase-says-an-emkay-report/articleshow/98802185.cms">Milk prices spiked in last 6 months, and will continue to increase says an Emkay report</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/indian-bank-deposits-better-protected-than-in-us-sbi-report/articleshow/98802859.cms">Indian bank deposits better protected than in US: SBI report</a>

A tiny sensor developed by Indian researcher can now tell if food is spoiled, real-time

US researchers have developed a novel smart bandage with <keyword id="301435" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="biosensors" source="Orion">biosensors</keyword> that can help heal chronic wounds like diabetic ulcers and burns. Most of the time, when someone gets a cut, scrape, burn or other wounds, the body takes care of itself and heals on its own. But <keyword id="6359018" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diabetes" source="Orion">diabetes</keyword> can interfere with the healing process and create wounds that will not go away and that could become infected and fester. The smart bandage developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (<keyword id="140396" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="caltech" source="Orion">Caltech</keyword>) may make treatment of these wounds easier, more effective and less expensive. "There are many different types of chronic wounds, especially in diabetic ulcers and burns that last a long time and cause huge issues for the patient," Wei Gao, Assistant Professor of medical engineering, at Caltech said. "There is a demand for technology that can facilitate recovery," Gao said. Unlike a typical bandage, which might only consist of layers of absorbent material, <keyword id="1228303" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-bandages" source="Orion">smart bandages</keyword> are made from a flexible and stretchy polymer containing embedded electronics and medication. The electronics allow the sensor to monitor for molecules like uric acid or lactate and conditions like pH level or temperature in the wound that may be indicative of inflammation or bacterial infection. The bandage can transmit the gathered data from the wound wirelessly to a nearby computer, tablet, or smartphone for review by the patient or a medical professional. It can deliver an antibiotic or other medication stored within the bandage directly to the wound site to treat the inflammation and infection. It can also apply a low-level electrical field to the wound to stimulate tissue growth resulting in faster healing, the researchers said, in the paper described in the journal Science Advances. The team tested the bandage in animal models under laboratory conditions. The smart bandages showed the ability to provide real-time updates about wound conditions and the animals' metabolic states to researchers, as well as offer speed healing of chronic infected wounds similar to those found in humans Gao said the results are promising, adding that future research will focus on improving the bandage technology and testing it on human patients. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apples-latest-patent-reveals-an-under-display-tech-for-biometrics-and-gesture-control-in-iphones-and-apple-watch-but-we-wont-see-it-on-iphone-15/articleshow/99027301.cms">Apple's latest patent reveals an under-display tech for biometrics and gesture control in iPhones and Apple Watch, but we won’t see it on iPhone 15</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/sony-playstation-5-ps5-5000-discount-in-india-in-april/articleshow/99027460.cms">Sony PlayStation 5 gaming console will get a ₹5000 discount in India starting April — the best time to grab it</a>

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A tiny sensor developed by Indian researcher can now tell if food is spoiled, real-time

PTI

Smart bandages with biosensors to help heal chronic diabetic wounds

IANS

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