and thought it was an absolutely brilliant idea and couldn't figure
out why it wasn't and everyday thing already on the market. Apologies
about the quality of the images, they're the best I could find.
Dr Paul Brockwell is a food scientist from Coffs Harbour in Northern
NSW and along with Dr Robert 'Bob' Holland, a polymer chemist,
ex-CSIRO, they designed Intelligent Plastic labels. These are low cost
labels that can be incorporated into any packaging or affixed to
virtually any surface or product. They measure and interpret
biochemical activity on or around the product they are attached to or
incorporated in and directly measure the matter of concern: freshness,
toxicity, health risk, benefit or diagnostic assessment.
The labels can be stuck onto the exterior surface of food wrapped in
polyethylene film, onto the 'skin' of fruits and vegetables,
polystyrene boxes of fish and vegetables so that those in the trade
don't have to open the package to appraise the quality of the
contents, and blood bags, because these are all composed of permeable
polymers through which the gases associated with spoilage, and being
metered, permeate. The labels are made from food-grade materials and
access the fresshness on a scale from 0-100.
The intelligent sensory label scavenges reactive molecules into a
column where a dose of loaded reagent reacts with the molecule being
measured to generate a colour front under diffusion. This meters
exposure of the instrument to the molecule being determined and
generates a reading along a continuous scale.
A whole range of reactive molecules can be determined, basically, all
those currently determined in a test tube. Typical determinations
include pH titrations, oxidation – reduction reactions,
precipitations, and immune-response reactions. Commonly, we monitor
for carbon dioxide, reactive oxygen (O-) and ethylene, the fruit
ripening hormone.
The migrating colour front also changes the electro-chemical
properties of the column and the sensor can be composed as a
replaceable cartridge for integration with electrical sensors in radio
tags for transmission to a coordination centre by mobile and satellite
telephony. This way, shipments of food can be monitored whilst
travelling the globe by Australian exporters, pharmaceuticals can be
monitored in a warehouse for oxidation whilst packaged in bulk packs,
a blood bank can monitor blood supplies during distribution and
storage - up until transfusion, live vaccines can be monitored for
vitality during distribution in developing countries, and the
respiration of aged people can be monitored in their homes by a
nursing service, as can sleeping babies by parents when attached to an
alarm.
Steph Tan
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s2523969.htm
http://www.intelligentplastic.com.au/pages/index.html
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