A team at McMaster University in Hamilton has developed a transparent patch that can detect harmful food-poisoning bacteria.
It’s remarkably similar to the TruID food-wrapping technology developed at the University of Guelph.
Mechanical and chemical engineers worked with biochemists from across McMaster to develop their patch.
They also say it “can be incorporated directly into food packaging, where it can monitor the contents for harmful pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella.”
The new technology, described in the research journal ACS Nano, has the potential to replace the traditional “best before” date on food and drinks alike with a definitive indication that it’s time to chuck that roast or pour out that milk, says McMaster in a news release.
A spokesman for the University of Guelph’s Office of Research answered a query from me saying “I doubt this is (patent) infringement since there are several ways to detect and quantify these harmful bacteria but it is certainly in our space.”
