SensNews May 2016

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Sensor100 May 2016 16
Ocean OpticsTakes a Spectral Bite Out of Straw-
berries
Strawberries are a healthy food, with lots of
vitamin C and fiber packed in a small, conve-
nient package.To find out what spectroscopy
can reveal about strawberries, Ocean Op-
tics measured sugars, acidity, vitamin C and
firmness in various samples.The results may
surprise you.
So what did the study really tell us to help in
choosing better berries? Though the deeper
red berries may look more “ripe”, hinting
are better nutrition and taste, it is not necessarily the case. Firmer berries have more
vitamin C, even though their higher acidity delivers extra “bite”.
Dart Sensors announces a detector for food
freshness
will roll out a series of new electro-
chemical sensor products in the coming months, many
based on our world-leading alcohol sensor technol-
ogy.
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 ba-
nanas 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. Reported on LinkedIn.