Berkeley electronic nose detects food spoilage and allergens

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an electronic nose that can detect food spoilage and common allergens with greater accuracy than the human sense of smell. The device, described in a study published in the journal Science Advances on June 17, 2026, combines an array of miniature gas sensors with machine learning to identify the chemical signatures of foods.

The technology is designed to address the limitations of traditional methods for assessing food safety, such as printed expiration dates and the human "sniff test," which can fail to detect early spoilage or trace allergens. Each year, millions of people in the United States become ill from foodborne pathogens.

The electronic nose contains 16 microscopic gas sensors, each coated with a different sensing film that reacts to specific volatile compounds released by food. Lead author Carla Bassil, a doctoral student in electrical engineering and computer sciences, described the array as functioning like a set of digital taste buds. Chemical reactions on the sensor surfaces are converted into electrical signals, creating a unique fingerprint for each food's scent.