No matter how much you hate bugs and insects, it’s now up to insects to tell us about smells and odours. A $4 million collaboration among The Australian National University, Monash University and CSIRO’s Food futures National Research Flagship will help scientists in their efforts to produce a new generation of electronic nose, the ‘Cybernose‘.
The Cybernose will involve putting sensor proteins from insects and nematodes into an electronic nose to replace the current generation of electronic sensors that are not discriminating enough! The microscopic nematode worm will be central to the Cybernose research due to its highly sensitive molecular recognition system, allowing it to sense smell and flavour qualities in grapes.
The Cybernose may also be used in furture across other sectors of food and beverage industries and, in the long term, it could be developed to enhance Australia’s biosecurity by detecting and intercepting pests and diseases. Although the applications will be numerous, in the first instance, the group is working with the wine industry.
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