PhasmaFOOD will deliver a miniaturized multi-sensor optical sensing device for the detection of food safety threats such as food spoilage, adulteration and aflatoxins. The system is supported by a software architecture that delivers fast characterisation of foods, encompassing an extendable framework for the deployment of smart chemometric algorithms, data fusion strategies and reference laboratory measurements. The built-in algorithms are independent of the food type and food-tech application, so the framework proposed by PhasmaFOOD could lead to new forms of food-tech applications and growth, especially in the rural regions of Europe where the technological and broadband penetration is still low, while the economic growth coming from food value-chains is rapidly growing.
One example application is aflatoxin detection and is already been developed by the PhasmaFOOD consortium. This application has significant impact in the supply chain of agricultural products such as corn and grains. Governments and private businesses are spending considerable amounts of money to meet food safety criteria enforced by the law. Other food safety applications with substantial economic development opportunities include: fruits and vegetables; livestock and fish productions; milk production; and, edible oils.
PhasmaFOOD is addressing a market where similar devices are already positioned and customers and the general public are increasingly becoming familiar with food sensing technologies. Strong R&D and product-driven development are important strengths of PhasmaFOOD and the consortium is capitalising upon them seeking synergies with similar development efforts. In addition, rapid exploitation opportunities are pursued via pilot applications addressing niche food markets.