How fresh is your milk? These researchers have found a way to detect the damaged one with the smartphone

VibMilk allows you to understand if the milk is fresh or spoiled thanks to the vibration motor present in many smartphones which uses the inertial measurement unit without opening the container

A group of Australian researchers fromUniversity of New South Wales (UNSW) has developed an innovative technology that allows you to test the freshness of the milk using the vibration motor present in many smartphones.

This system, called VibMilk, takes advantage of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) integrated into mobile devices to detect physical changes in milk without opening the container, avoiding the risk of bacterial contamination which would accelerate the deterioration of the product.

The traditional method to determine if milk has gone bad is generally to use smell or taste, but these methods are not only impractical but also expose the milk to the air, encouraging the growth of bacteria. VibMilk, on the other hand, allows you to determine the freshness of milk in a non-invasive way without compromising the quality of the product.

This technology represents a great innovation, considering that previous methods for testing milk, while not invasive, required expensive equipment or were limited to transparent containersmaking them impractical for everyday use.

How the system works

VibMilk works by analyzing the responses to vibrations produced by the smartphone’s motor as they pass through the milk. Since the deterioration process of milk is linked to the increase of bacteria, which influence various physical parameters such as viscosity, density and surface tension, vibrations are changed as the milk deteriorates.

The system then uses machine learning algorithms to interpret the signals and determine the pH level of the milk, which is a key indicator of its freshness. VibMilk is able to classify milk into 23 different pH levelswith an accuracy reaching 98.35% in tests.

This system could contribute significantly to reduce milk wastea problem that affects many families and supermarkets. Indeed, although expiry dates can give a general indication of freshness, various factors such as storage temperature and type of packaging significantly influence the shelf life of the product.

VibMilk allows you to check the freshness of the milk at the time of purchase or shortly before consumption, avoiding unnecessary waste and ensuring greater food safety. UNSW researchers are also working to further refine the technology by studying the impact of different packaging materials on the quality of the vibrations.

The team is also working with a local milk producer to try to find an effective way to control the quality of thousands of bottles of milk during production in its plant.

Since this is a factory environment, we don’t need to use a smartphone; we can use more sophisticated, but non-invasive sensors. We are developing a system with them to measure the pH values ​​of their milk before it is sent to shops.”