SBIR Phase I: A Wireless Sensor for Instantaneous Food Quality Evaluation

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on the development of a wireless, disposable sensor that can instantaneously evaluate the quality of packaged food such as milk, meat, etc. The sensor, consisting of a planar inductor-capacitor resonance circuit printed on a thin flexible substrate such as plastic or paper, will be attached to the food package with the capacitor facing the food medium. Food degradation results in a change of the dielectric constant and electrical conductivity of the medium. The sensor will quantify the food quality by measuring the dielectric constant and conductivity changes, which result in a corresponding change in the sensors resonance frequency and quality. The resonance frequency and quality of the sensor will be remotely measured by a reader installed in places like checkout counters in grocery stores so the freshness of food can be measured before a sale/purchase is made. Potential commercial applications of the proposed sensor technology include monitoring food quality in wholesale and retail food stores, which will protect consumers from purchasing spoiled food. When mass-manufactured, each sensor will cost less than one cent, hence it can be applied to different types of food without significantly increasing the price. Implementation of this sensing technology will also have a significant economic impact on food suppliers and food stores, as it will allow them to selectively dispose spoiled food, as opposed to blindly destroying food based upon expiration dates.