vtt technical research centre of finland has developed a sensor that detects ethanol in a food package and transmits the data to a wireless device.ethanol and carbon dioxide are considered to be main volatile spoilage metabolites in freshcut fruit.the sensor, fixed within a radiofrequency identification rfid tag, emits information on the freshness of food. the emitted data is transmitted from the package to the customer by means of a reader, and is saved digitally in a remote server.stored in the cloud, the freshness data can used to compare previous and later quality of the food.the sensor and the rfid tag can be manufactured into a label or sticker and easily attached to a food package, vtt said.the nonprofit organization has developed a similar optical readout based on the colour change of the ethanol for a smartphone.the sensor will help to control the quality of the food throughout the distribution chain and to prevent waste caused by spoilage.the ethanol sensor can also be utilized in other applications like alcometers.vtt is aiming to patent the new invention and looking for partners to commercialize the sensor.every year, more than 100t of food gets wasted in europe. studies suggest that the amount will increase to 126 million tonnes in 2020. 
