Meat detector that distinguishes between beef and horsemeat is unveiled
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Retailers will soon be able to distinguish almost instantly between beef and horsemeat in products, thanks to a bench-top device built by British engineers.
Oxford Instruments and the Institute of Food Research have developed a machine that can identify meat before it is processed. Earlier this year, food retailers were badly hit by a scandal when horse meat was found in beef products.
The technology can distinguish between fatty acids from horses, cows, geese, pigs and sheep. It is also being developed to recognise rat meat.
"Each fat gives off a different signal," said Paul Bunting, sales director at Oxford Instruments. "The great advantage of this is that rather than spending £500 to send off meat for DNA-testing and waiting up to a week for the result, they can use this and get results in minutes."
Mr Bunting added that he has started to talks with all of the country's biggest supermarkets. Mid-size retailers currently spend up to £1m a year on sending samples for testing.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments