Using a Yeast-Based Barcode to Track What We Eat
Baker’s yeast has a variety of functions, including raising cinnamon rolls, baking handmade bread, and inflating out pizza dough. However, one less anticipated usage includes following a product across the whole food chain. To ensure traceability and avoid food crises, a Canadian business has discovered a method to utilize this typical, natural component to make barcodes.
Even though the mad cow disaster of the 1990s occurred more than 30 years ago, it is still vividly remembered in the food business of Europe since it almost brought about the end of steak eating on the continent. Other European food scandals included the mass sale of horse meat disguised as beef in 2013 and an E. coli epidemic in German vegetables (particularly sprouts) that claimed dozens of lives in 2011. Then there were the Ikea cakes where feces were found to be present. More recently, the German branch of the grocery giant Aldi removed eggs off the shelves when it was discovered that they contained the pesticide fipronil, which is prohibited for use in the production of animals intended for human consumption.
These and other food-related health crises have affected consumers’ confidence during the last three decades. Such incidents have caused customers to adopt new reflexes, with many now spending more time carefully reading labels to determine the country of origin of items. The component composition is the information that 81% of French customers search for on packaging, according to a survey conducted in France last year by LSA for Avery Dimension.
Tracing the origins of the food and its manufacturing processes in several of these situations when human health was in risk may have greatly aided the authorities in preventing the contamination’s spread. But it turns out that it is more difficult than it first seems. A Canadian business by the name of Index has created a remedy by creating what it terms “BioTags.” Food may be marked with BioTags, which are tiny barcodes that can be used to track it. The usage of baker’s yeast is the foundation of the theory. To be more specific, a little amount is removed and dissolved in water. It comes in the form of a highly adhesive solution that may be sprayed over any kind of food. The software created by the Canadian business is linked to these barcodes, and it offers comprehensive information on each item’s journey from the farm to the plate. The business claims that product recall rates may be decreased by 50 to 95% by using this technology.
Although this invention may appear like something from science fiction, both American and Canadian health authorities have previously given it the go-ahead.
