Will I Die if I Eat That Meat?

SensorFreshQ, from FQSI (Food Quality Sensor Incorporated).

The name doesn’t exactly roll of the tongue, but this electronic nose can measure the bacteriological activity in poultry, beef, and pork and give you a traffic light result: Green if it’s fresh, Yellow if it’s got a couple days left, and red if things are dicey.

How it works: hold the SensorFreshQ about an inch from the meat product and a fan draws air across four sensors which test for by-products of food-borne bacteria. The sensor part of the device is actually a disposable cartridge that’s good for 200 tests. And in case you’re wondering, according to the FQSI website, “When the number of bacterial colonies reaches 10 million colony forming units per gram (CFU/g), U.S. and international standards define the meat or poultry as spoiled.” It appears that this device works only with raw meat, which is a shame because it would be interesting to bring to restaurants…(although possible quite scary too!)

FQSI also makes a neat sticker that affixes to meat packaging and alerts you through color change when the meat inside isn’t so fresh. When the colored bars cross the line, you’re probably better off choosing a different veal cutlet! I wonder when they’re going to make a sensor for Mad Cow Disease or e.coli…