Editorial Feature

The World's First Edible Food Sensors

Swiss researchers developed the world's first edible sensors. The thin, digestible sensors can be attached to food, where they then wirelessly monitor its temperature to link our food to the Internet of Things (IoT).

The research from the team in Zurich built upon previously available biomaterials research, which explored using degradable rigid materials in objects, such as medical implants and wearable sensors.

The development of the new sensors was reported in the Advanced Functional Materials journal in 2017 by post-doctorate Giovanni Salvatore and his research team. According to the journal, the edible microsensors were made with a corn and potato starch-based polymer, which was mixed with magnesium, water-soluble silicon dioxide, and nitride; all of which are digestible by humans. It is a fully biodegradable piece of technology.

New Edible Microsensors

The sensor is ultra-thin at only 16 micrometers thick, which is more than six times smaller than a human hair (around 100 micrometers thick). This means that they can be easily implanted into food that can then be monitored and digested by humans without much intrusion.

"In preparation for transport to Europe, fish from Japan could be fitted with tiny temperature sensors," stated Salvatore, "allowing them to be continuously monitored to ensure they are kept at a cool enough temperature."

Image Credit: stockfour/Shutterstock

By using them in the food and beverage industry, consumers and providers will be able to continually test the temperature of food products; ensuring freshness is monitored and controlled.

Challenges Faced

Currently, the microsensors must be connected to a micro-battery, microprocessor and transmitter in order to work as needed. Although this is done with biodegradable cables, it is not an ideal situation. Therefore, the team is now furthering their research to examine and find ways of wirelessly powering and transmitting the data collected by the sensor. Salvatore explains that the team is currently looking into a “biocompatible energy source”.

Another challenge the sensors have to face is that they must be sturdy enough to withstand rough handling over long-distance transportation. Therefore, the sensors have to be strong as well as small. They also have to provide reliable electrical performance, while undergoing chemical degradation and mechanical deformation.

The most significant hurdle for this branch of materials research is the initial expense to create the sensor. According to a release by the research team, this type of biocompatible microsensor is very expensive and time-consuming to develop and therefore has made the product less marketable. It is believed that in the future, the price of labor and production will decrease to make the microsensor more viable in the industry.

Conclusion

Despite the many challenges, there has been and continues to be a lot of research into edible sensors. Earlier in 2018, a different team of researchers successfully developed an ingestible electronic capsule that is capable of sensing the levels of fermentation in the gut and detecting various gases. The capsule is larger than the Salvatore team's edible sensor, at 2.6 centimeters long, but is able to detect hydrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. It can also transmit these results every 5 minutes as it makes its way through the digestive tract. While still at the human trial stage, it is hoped that this sensor could someday aid medical professionals in diagnosing digestive problems.

Once the price of biosensors falls enough, they could be used virtually anywhere,” Salvatore explained, “Their use would not be limited to temperature measurement either: similar microsensors could be deployed to monitor pressure, gas build-up and UV exposure.

Works Cited

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Robinson, Isabelle. (2018, December 19). The World's First Edible Food Sensors. AZoSensors. Retrieved on November 02, 2024 from https://www.azosensors.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1533.

  • MLA

    Robinson, Isabelle. "The World's First Edible Food Sensors". AZoSensors. 02 November 2024. <https://www.azosensors.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1533>.

  • Chicago

    Robinson, Isabelle. "The World's First Edible Food Sensors". AZoSensors. https://www.azosensors.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1533. (accessed November 02, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Robinson, Isabelle. 2018. The World's First Edible Food Sensors. AZoSensors, viewed 02 November 2024, https://www.azosensors.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1533.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this article?

Leave your feedback
Your comment type
Submit

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.