'Dipstick' test could prevent food poisoning

The tool is a disposable dipstick that can detect whether a food is still safe to eat or whether it's a health hazard that could lead to a case of food poisoning. In laboratory tests, the device had a 90 percent accuracy rate. The dipstick is made of special polymers or synthetic materials that change colour in the presence of chemicals formed by disease-causing bacteria, the researchers said in a paper presented at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. The polymers even change colour to reflect the level of amines and food spoilage. In laboratory tests on fresh salmon, fresh tuna and canned tuna, the dipstick changed from a dark purple to a yellow in the presence of badly spoiled fish, and dark purple to a reddish colour in the presence of mildly spoiled fish. The hope is to market the dipstick as a test kit that consumers could use at home or in restaurants.

Courtesy AFP

Steve - this would be extremely helpful to consumers. Let's get it to market.