(Press-News.org) "It will be the first non-destructive method. This means that measurements can be taken in closed packaging and the gas composition over time can be checked. This will make it possible to check a much higher number of products than at present", says Märta Lewander, Doctor of Atomic Physics at Lund University in Sweden.
Dr Lewander developed the technique in her thesis and now works as chief technical officer for the company Gasporox, which is commercialising the technology.
Today, spot checks are performed on individual samples, with the risk that damaged products could slip through.
"We hope that, in the long term, this type of equipment could also help to stop people throwing so much food away, because they would know that it is packaged as it should be", she says.
The product that will be launched in the autumn could be used to check and improve how airtight packaging is.
Gasporox estimates that within two years the method could also be used as a means of quality control in production when products are packaged. In the future, shops could also use it to check the shelf life of their goods.
No plastic packaging is 100% airtight. How easily oxygen can enter depends on both the material and how well sealed the packaging is.
"It has been shown that part-baked bread, for example, doesn't always meet the mark", says Annika Olsson, Professor of Packaging Logistics at Lund University.
The technology can measure through almost all packaging materials.
"As long as light can pass through then we can measure. Almost all materials allow at least some light to pass. Even packaging that contains aluminium foil, for example some fruit juice cartons, often has some part that is not covered by the foil", says Märta Lewander.
At Lund University, research in the field is continuing. Patrik Lundin, a doctoral student in Atomic Physics, is now focusing on measuring carbon dioxide in packaging.
"It is important to measure both oxygen and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is most important, but there is also interest in carbon dioxide from the industry", says Märta Lewander.
The development work has been financed by several research grants from bodies including Vinnova and by private entrepreneurs and investors. The product that is being developed by Gasporox is manufactured by a part-owner of the company, the Norwegian company Norsk Elektro Optikk.
How the technology works:
The protective atmosphere that surrounds the food product in the packaging usually comprises carbon dioxide or nitrogen and contains little or no oxygen. Oxygen leads to oxidisation, bacteria growth and decay.
By shining a laser beam into the packaging and studying the light that comes back, it is possible to see if the composition of the gas is correct. The laser beam measures the amount of oxygen.
The laser is connected to a handheld unit which is held against the sample. A handheld detector measures the light that comes out of the packaging and sends a signal to a computer.
The technology is based on a technique for measuring the gas composition of samples containing cavities. An early application was to diagnose sinusitis, by enabling doctors at a primary health centre to find out whether the sinuses were full of gas as they should be. Clinical studies have confirmed that the technique works, and this application is expected to be on the market within a year or two.
Background:
The idea of using lasers to measure food packaging came about by chance, when Sune Svanberg, Professor of Atomic Physics at Lund University and the father of this laser technology, met Annika Olsson, then a Reader in Packaging Logistics, on a management course at Lund University a few years ago. When they told one another what they worked with, they began to brainstorm possible areas of collaboration. At the time, there was a fierce debate going on in Sweden on the repackaging of minced meat by a major supermarket chain.
INFORMATION:
For more information, see www.gasporox.com or contact CTO Märta Lewander, +46 702 951113, ml@gasporox.se, or CEO Maria Göth mg@gasporox.se, +46 702 954596. High resolution photographs of Märta Lewander, Patrik Lundin and Annika Olsson are available in the Lund University image bank, http://bildweb.srv.lu.se/.
END
"It is hoped that this reconstruction is a good likeness and that, if someone who knew him in life had been presented with this restoration, they would hopefully have recognised the face", says Jenny Barber, an MSc student at the University of Dundee in Scotland.
She has scientifically rebuilt the face of the strong and stocky Viste Boy, who lived in the Vistehola cave near Stavanger, so that people can now look him right in the eye.
Ms Barber is studying forensic art, an unusual discipline embracing such elements as human anatomy and identification in order to recreate ...
Steel City Displays, a full service custom exhibit house located in Phoenixville, PA, is pleased to announce that their valued client Saint-Gobain's Creative Services Group, won a prestigious 2011 Graphic Design USA award.
Creative Services was honored for their design of the Saint-Gobain Corporate Communications display kiosks that were featured at the 2011 AIA (American Institute of Architects) Show. Steel City Displays designed and fabricated the custom built exhibits.
Commenting on the award, Bob Heck, President of Steel City Displays, said, "We are thrilled ...
Sheep's head is not for wimps. Until now very few of us have been tempted by this traditional Norwegian dish.
"It's a pity, because you will really have to look far and wide for a more tasty traditional dish," says Professor Reidar Mykletun at the Norwegian School of Hotel Management at the University of Stavanger.
"With good potatoes, rutabaga mash, beer and aquavit sheep's head is a tempting experience for genuine lamb enthusiasts. But sheep's head is an example of a dish that is scary for many of us. With both ears, mouth, teeth, tongue and eyes looking at you from ...
Culture is not a trait that is unique to humans. By studying orangutan populations, a team of researchers headed by anthropologist Michael Krützen from the University of Zurich has demonstrated that great apes also have the ability to learn socially and pass them down through a great many generations. The researchers provide the first evidence that culture in humans and great apes has the same evolutionary roots, thus answering the contentious question as to whether variation in behavioral patterns in orangutans are culturally driven, or caused by genetic factors and environmental ...
A paper from the National Institutes of Health in the United States has evaluated the separate and combined effects of the frequency of alcohol consumption and the average quantity of alcohol drunk per occasion and how that relates to mortality risk from individual cancers as well as all cancers. The analysis is based on repeated administrations of the National Health Interview Survey in the US, assessing more than 300,000 subjects who suffered over 8,000 deaths from cancer. The research reports on total cancer deaths and deaths from lung, colorectal, prostate, and breast ...
Using a simple, single-step process, engineers and scientists at the University of California at Berkeley recently developed a technique to direct benign, filamentous viruses called M13 phages to serve as structural building blocks for materials with a wide range of properties.
By controlling the physical environment alone, the researchers caused the viruses to self-assemble into hierarchically organized thin-film structures, with complexity that ranged from simple ridges, to wavy, chiral strands, to truly sophisticated patterns of overlapping strings of material--results ...
Banishing unsightly and aging "bingo wings" is easy with the new range of Mary Portas Armery from MyTights.com. In a survey by Charnos, women over 40 identified their upper arms as their number one problem area but now retail guru Mary Portas and hosiery manufacturer Charnos have joined forces to develop a new and stylish way to disguise and sculpt your upper arms - Armery.
Research earlier this year showed that 75% of women over 40 hated their wobbly upper arms more than any other part of their body. Shapewear solutions exist for all parts of the body but ...
A new study published online in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that soy protein compared to dairy milk protein supplementation improves the lipid profile in healthy individuals. This study investigated the effect of soy and milk protein supplementation on lipids compared with carbohydrate among healthy adults. Numerous research studies have demonstrated that soy protein reduces LDL ("the bad") cholesterol and increases HDL ("the good") cholesterol, supporting the soy protein heart health and cholesterol-lowering claim that is approved in 12 countries ...
It has been well-documented that minorities are subject to discrimination in product pricing and customer service. What is startling is the result of a new study professors at the USC Marshall School of business in conjunction with University of San Diego's School of Business Administration, that shows that sometimes ill-treatment can make African-American consumers voluntarily pay more for goods and services than they would normally, as well as pay more than their Caucasian counterparts.
Aarti S. Ivanic, assistant professor of marketing at the University of San Diego's ...
PHILADELPHIA—Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is one of a select number of medical centers nationwide offering a newly approved optical imaging agent for the detection of papillary cancer of the bladder in patients with known or suspected bladder cancer.
The availability of imaging agent known as Cysview signals the arrival of an innovative diagnostic technology for patients who have or may have bladder cancer, and underscores Jefferson's reputation as a leading comprehensive medical facility in the Delaware Valley.
The imaging agent is used to detect bladder cancer ...
