Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on June 26, 2026
Could an electronic nose detect foodborne germs. Or even illness in sick patients? Literally sniffing out microbes and identifying them in real time?
That is exactly what Taeyeong Choi, assistant professor of information technology at Kennesaw State University’s College of Computing and Software Engineering, is working on. Success smells great!
How would a germ-sniffing electronic nose work? What are the benefits of this technology? Could this concept be applied to other areas of science?
Let’s dive in to the smell of foodborne illness!
We’ve all done it. Forgot about that leftover container in the fridge. Allowed it to sit a few days past reasonable consumption. But we do the sniff test anyway. We are looking for lunch after all.
Or when the milk’s expiration date is today. But you have a hankering for cereal. Or those Oreos in the pantry are calling your name. But they need that magical milk pairing.
What if there was a way to smell foodborne germs?
Scientists are actively working on that technology right now.
But how does it work?
Historically, doctors and scientists have relied on their sniffers to detect bacterial infections for ages.
For example, if a patient or wound has a sour grape smell. You are likely looking at Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Smells like caramel? It is likely Streptococcus anginosus. Clostridium is notable for the putrid stench it gives off.
Some bacteria are more identifiable than others, for their volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are both strong and unique.
For microbes that produce small amounts or harder to discern odors, technology is needed to detect and assign an identity to it. This is where the electronic nose comes in.
An electronic nose analyzes the VOCs or groups of chemicals in the sample, and the gases they produce. This data runs through AI models that have been trained with thousands of samples of VOCs.
“Currently, we are mainly interested in pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli, since they’re the most common and impact a lot of people,” Choi said. “Over time, and through continued discussions with my colleagues who have expertise in food safety, we will continue to increase the number of pathogens we are able to detect.”
There are several benefits to this technology. Most notably, it will be a food safety tool. It could be used to detect germs in food and patient samples. Even reduce food waste.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six Americans become sick with foodborne illness each year. These illnesses account for around 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths across the country.
“Food safety is a really important issue for the public, and I realize that millions of people are affected by foodborne illness each year,” Choi said.
Traditional testing methods for detecting foodborne contamination work. But they are time- and resource-consuming.
An electronic nose, applied to a suspected food vehicle could quickly and accurately detect an outbreak germ. This prompt answer helps move traceback investigations along more quickly, allowing for mitigating efforts to take place faster. Which means fewer people get sick.
This technology would also reduce food waste. Samples of food products must be taken to perform traditional tests. The electronic nose does not require the destruction or disruption of food products or the production process.
A game changer for onsite inspections!
As this technology develops and becomes more mainstream, it may be as widely used for screening at ports in much the same way radiation is tested. At restaurants, to test incoming ingredients. If the technology becomes affordable enough, even home kitchens may have a germ sniffing device.
A germ-phobic girl can dream, right?
Could there be medical applications? Other scientists are working on using this technology for that exact purpose.
This technology has other applications beyond food samples. How about diagnosing patients?
This path started with a retired nurse with a little-known super power. Both she and her grandmother had a “super sniffer.” Her name is Joy Milne and she is a retired nurse and researcher.
Her husband developed Parkinson’s disease. A terrible, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder. When discovering the distinct smell of his sweat, she considered the potential diagnostic impact of a disease sniffing technology.
Together with researchers, they analyzed the unique chemical patterns found in waste products of these patients. The same VOC technology used in Choi’s research.
Patients seeking treatment for their symptoms may go extended periods of time before diagnosis. Early symptoms are similar to many other illnesses.
A screening tool tuned to a variety of known illnesses could speed up this process. Allowing patients to get more pointed treatment much quicker.
Soon, if technology continues to move in this direction, running an electronic nose across the nape of a sick patient or blowing a breath into a diagnostic machine could give precious answers to desperate people.
It makes you wonder. How would an electronic nose shape the future. Is this a science fiction fantasy? Would there be too much reliance on screening methods?
Or could this be a total game changer? A move that would advance humanity light years into the future?
Only time will tell if these electronic noses will come to fruition. If they will be approved by our medical and testing device regulatory body, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Personally, I would LOVE to have one of my own. Will it cost $1000? $100? Will there be an attachment available for use on our own smartphones?
I look forward to a future where this is a possibility!
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Researcher Is Developing Electronic Nose to Sniff Out Foodborne Illness,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)