hello hazel,
with the latest devices that are coming out there's no need to rely on your
nose anymore.
i have two devices on order one of which i should get during july and the
other one wont be available until the autumn.
the first one is called 'peres' and is available from:
www.getperes.com
this is a bluetooth device that works via an app on your smart phone and
has four sensors built in to it.
between these sensors it can tell you how fresh all types of meat and fish
are and if there not it can warn you if there is any bacteria on it and
wether it is still safe to eat.
this is all done by the push of a single button.
the second one is called 'tellspec' and this is a hand held spectrometer
that works with your smart phone again via bluetooth.
this again works from a single button but even works when any food is in
plastic containers or behind glass.
but this time rather than telling you how fresh the food is it actually
analises the food and tells you what is in it.
it can even tell you if for example if a cake has natural or artificial
flavourings in it.
and if you have to avoid something because of an allergy or a medical
condition in the app you can prioritise the substance and it will warn you
if the food contains it.
i ordered this from indiegogo and the purchase price includes 2 years
access to their analising database and then there will be a yearly
subscription.
i've contacted the inventors of both of these devices and they say they
will do everything they can to ensure their apps will work with voiceover.
here is what the inventors say about tellspec.
What will TellSpec do?
TellSpec will identify allergens, chemicals, nutrients, calories, and
ingredients
in foods or beverages.
TellSpec will warn you when a food contains allergens such as gluten or
egg.
TellSpec will track your daily calories and help you achieve your daily
targets.
TellSpec will tell you about inaccurately reported ingredients like trans
fats and
give you the background story on mysterious ingredients like tartrazine.
TellSpec
goes beyond the label!
TellSpec will track what you eat, and based on your reports of how you
feel, it will
help identify your food sensitivities.
TellSpec will help you monitor your intake of toxic chemicals such as
mercury, so
that you will stay within recommended limits.
TellSpec will track your intake of essential vitamins and minerals, and
help you
ensure that you are getting the right amount
How will it work?
Light is made up of particles called photons. When you beam the low-powered
laser
in the TellSpec scanner at the food, some of the photons are absorbed,
raising the
energy states of the molecules in the food. Lower energy photons are then
reflected
back. The spectrometer inside the TellSpec scanner sorts these photons by
wavelength
and counts them. The resulting numbers, called a spectrum, describe the
chemical
compounds in the food.
This spectrum is uploaded to our analysis engine where it is analyzed and
correlated
with other reference spectra. Information about the allergens, chemicals,
nutrients,
calories, and ingredients in the food is then downloaded to you and
displayed on
your smart phone.
TellSpec responds to your specific food requirements and preferences.
TellSpec is
a smart system that learns as you use it, so that you see the information
that is
of most interest to you.
pete.
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