Lasers Are the Next Advance in Screening Foods for E. coli

Please, abandon the sniff test

Fire the lasers and protect against foodborne illnesses with the help of a handful of scientists. Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institutes of Science and Technology have developed a device that can be mounted inside refrigerators and uses a laser to scan foods for microbes, according to Ars Technica.

The technology uses a camera to monitor patterns as a laser fires repeatedly at the surfaces of foods in the fridge. Certain bacteria, like salmonella, have hair-like extensions called flagella that they use to move around the surface of food, and the laser and camera pick up these movements, as the MIT Technology review explained. It even works through cellophane.

The laser technology could come in handy for everyone from consumers to large-scale food producers and has the potential to protect against instances of E. coli, listeria, or other foodborne illnesses. MIT acknowledged one downside to this technology: While it can tell whether a bacteria is present, it cannot distinguish between different bacteria, nor can it pick up viral contaminants (such as norovirus) or toxins.

Maybe one day such technology will save companies like Chipotle the pain of bacteria-fueled nightmares and protect diners from painful illnesses.

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