16.nov.06
Boston Globe
Hiawatha Bray
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/11/16/a_measure_of_freshness/
Food Quality Sensor International Inc. of Lexington (FQSI) makes the SensorfreshQ, a hand-held scanner that can detect high bacteria levels on meat and poultry. The $90 device, which went on sale recently at specialty retailer The Sharper Image, uses sensor technology developed at Draper Laboratory in Cambridge to identify spoiled meat, even if it still looks and smells fresh.
Most of Massachusetts' top technology firms make products for business and government -- massive data storage arrays from EMC Corp., guided missiles from Raytheon Co., or cellphone chips from Analog Devices Inc. There are a few exceptions, like Bose Corp. and iRobot Corp. Now FSQI hopes join their ranks by selling millions of its SensorfreshQs.
The story says that as bacteria feast on the protein in meat, they generate tiny amounts of chemicals called biogenic amines. These chemicals mix with the surrounding air, but people can't smell them. Megan Owens, founder of FQSI, developed an amine detection system while working at Draper Lab . Owens designed an array of tiny sensors that generate an electrical current in the presence of biogenic amines. At the touch of a button, a tiny fan inside the device growls to life, blowing an air sample over the sensors. In about a minute, the machine delivers its reading through a set of colored lights. Green means the meat is fresh; yellow means you'd be wise to eat it within 48 hours; and red indicates a trip to the wastebasket.