FoodTech start-up Inspecto Ltd has launched a new device that detects chemical contamination in food in real time. The portable scanner, which will be showcased at Seed and Chips in Milano, Italy, between May 6 and 9, 2019, can detect contaminants at concentration levels as required by regulators, guaranteeing traceability and complete transparency. 

Inspecto’s innovative device brings lab testing to the farmers, food manufactures and retailers without time-consuming, high-cost lab testing. The Inspecto solution is fast, accurate, affordable, and saves unnecessary costs. This high-tech solution offers the food industry the ability to tailor rapid smart contaminant testing via big data to their needs and location. 

“Our solution helps make food safer and cleaner, and ensures maximum transparency,” said Avner Avidan, chief executive officer, Inspecto, adding, “We already are engaged in pilot projects with leading food companies wanting to take product safety assurance and traceability to the next level.”

The next-gen inspection system scans the product or the crop and identifies contaminants according to specific requirements of the client. A sample is placed in a disposable capsule for detection, inserted into the device, and then activated with a simple press of a button.

It scans the sample and processes it automatically within minutes, resulting in a reliable, quantified measurement of the seleced contaminant. The scan can be conducted outdoors or indoors, anytime to ensure responsible sourcing.

All results are stored on a cloud, recorded and analysed in real time. This high-tech device fills the industry’s need to conduct more frequent testing at different points along the production line, with immediate results.

“Since each scan is conducted in real-time and the results are stored on the cloud, Inspecto can offer additional services to our customers that, until now, were impossible for them to implement,” said Avidan, adding, “For example, it enables our customers to approve or reject a shipment on the spot based on the results, and they can even use blockchain to store their information more securely.”  

“We developed a portable device to ensure the safety of the product from farm to fork and help food manufacture control their entire supply chains,” says Yair Moneta, vice-president, business development, Inspecto, adding, “It can disrupt the entire way contaminants are currently being tested, reducing the risk of recalls, food waste, and potential lawsuits.”

The Inspecto device can be tuned to identify almost any chemical contaminant, in any product, liquid or solid.

“The advantage of Inspecto is the ability to identify and magnify the unique spectral fingerprint of each contaminant,” said Moneta, adding, “Moreover, you can conduct multiple scans per day without waiting for the results or paying exorbitant lab costs.”

Inspecto was established in 2016 to revolutionise the food industry by taking food contaminant testing out of the lab. Reports on the discovery of high levels of contaminants in vegetables inspired the co-founders to seek a comprehensive, fast solution for detecting contaminants.