Chinese scientists design meat “freshness sniffer”

Researchers at China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp developed a handheld device for food market shoppers, China Daily reported. The small "freshness sniffer", is an electronic device that determines the freshness of meat. Niu Ye, an engineer at the institute who is in charge of the product's development, said: "You open the device and an application on your mobile phone and then place the device very close to the meat for about 10 seconds."The "freshness sniffer" is connected with the mobile phone via Bluetooth. It detects and measures the presence of ammonia and volatile organic compounds to determine bacteriological activity in uncooked meat. The gadget can be used with almost every kind of meat -- including pork, beef, mutton, chicken and even fish -- Niu said. The first version of the device is 80-90 percent accurate, and further upgrades of the hardware and app will increase the accuracy. @ http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/07/c_137161711.htm