A sensor is being developed by an EU-funded consortium to check for pesticides or bacteria in fruits and vegetables.
The project, called GRACED, is coordinated by the Cyprus Research and Innovation Centre and includes experts from across Europe.
The detector uses light particles to spot traces of pesticide or bacteria. From preparing a sample to detection, the system can give a result in 30 minutes.
It uses laser light to detect chemical or biological analytes. Called a plasmo-photonic bimodal multiplexing sensor, it can spot bacteria or pesticides without having to use chemicals or dyes as a marker.
Current safety checks on fruit and vegetables are made in random batches then sent to a laboratory for testing, a process that can take two to three days to get a result. Analyzing data from these checks can be time consuming and costly.
FoodWorld 