Identifying Harmful Substances in Food

Assessing food safety is hampered by the demand for rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective methods to quantify various contaminants like pathogens, heavy metals, and pesticides. Magnetic resonance (MR) methods are used, but can lack the sensitivity required to detect trace amounts of contaminants or minor metabolites in food products.

Quantum MR technologies, specifically nano-NMR using Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centres in diamond, offer nanoscale sensitivity and precision for detecting contaminants and complex molecular details in food.

This presents opportunities for molecular-level food safety assessments, single-cell studies, and enhanced detection of subtle contaminants with exceptional precision.