ISCF WAVE 1 AGRI TECH: Low cost sensors to reduce storage losses

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: Chemistry

Abstract

Onion storage rots in the UK result in annual losses of 20% of the crop, worth approximately £6.5 million based on an average price. Detecting rots effectively while the crop is in store would enable better management decisions to be made and losses reduced. However, detecting incipient rots in a large store environment is problematic and frequently rots will be well advanced before they are noticed and affected crates or boxes removed. Plant material affected by pathogens causing rots emits volatile substances which can be detected and used to indicate that a problem is present. Detection systems are however expensive and difficult to deploy in sufficient numbers in a store environment. In this research project, we will develop a standard pathogen challenged onion material which will feed into the development of a novel printed electronic sensor, and then validate the effectiveness of the sensor in a series of small scale onion storage units where patogens have been deliberately introduced. The sensors have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, and thus can be massively deployed in commercial storage units for effective and sensitive detection of developing rots.

Technical Summary

Onion storage rots in the UK result in annual losses of 20% of the crop, worth approximately £6.5 million based on an average price. Detecting rots effectively while the crop is in store would enable better management decisions to be made and losses reduced. However, detecting incipient rots in a large store environment is problematic and frequently rots will be well advanced before they are noticed and affected crates or boxes removed. Plant material affected by pathogens causing rots emits volatile substances which can be detected and used to indicate that a problem is present. Detection systems are however expensive and difficult to deploy in sufficient numbers in a store environment. In this research project, we will develop a standard pathogen challenged onion material which will feed into the development of a novel printed electronic sensor, and then validate the effectiveness of the sensor in a series of small scale onion storage units where patogens have been deliberately introduced. The sensors have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, and thus can be massively deployed in commercial storage units for effective and sensitive detection of developing rots.

Planned Impact

The world population is expected to grow to over 9 billion people by 2040 and food production will need to increase by more than 50% to cope with the expected demand. Improving yields from existing agricultural surface is critical to deliver this deficit as land suitable for conversion to agriculture is dwindling. European agriculture is one of the most efficient worldwide but further progress in yield and productivity are critical to meet the immediate challenges of this century. The minimization of agricultural losses for crops that require extended storage such as onions and potatatoes is one approach to improve productivity and the development of distributed sensor systems is crucial to detect diseases at an early stage and enable effective intervention.

UK agriculture must act now to maintain its technological edge, to continuously develop and use innovative technologies and management techniques in order to stay at the forefront in this strategic area, and improve the competitiveness to capture the significant opportunities within this growing global market. To address new market opportunities novel advanced highly functional sensing systems are required with the following properties: low-cost, simplicity, portability, high sensitivity and specificity, high-speed, and real-time capability. At present sensors for the agricultural sector represent 4.5% of the total global sensor market and this is expected to grow to 9% by 2018. This project is therefore ideally placed to exploit market growth in this area and capture market share.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description The project was extremely successful in a very limited timeframe. A sensor system was developed that was able to distinguish between healthy
and rotten apples with a high level of accuracy. Moreover it was possible to
determine which sensor types were most appropriate to differentiate the
headspace volatiles in commercial crop stores.
Exploitation Route The sensor system may be used to evaluate stored apples for the development of nektaria rot in commercial crop stores. The approach could be adopted for many other stored fruits.
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Electronics

Environment

 
Description Development of gas sensors for use in early detection of food storage losses and detection of environmental gases and other VOCs
First Year Of Impact 2017
Sector Electronics
Impact Types Economic

 
Description PlasticARMPit: Accelerating the Development of Flexible Integrated Smart Systems
Amount £1,339,681 (GBP)
Funding ID 103390 
Organisation Innovate UK 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2017 
End 06/2021
 
Description RBAN: Roadside Breath Analysis for Narcotics
Amount £322,308 (GBP)
Funding ID 10017013 
Organisation Innovate UK 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2022 
End 02/2023
 
Description GAs sensing with CDT 
Organisation Cambridge Display Technology
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We have collaborated on developing a sensor system for studying food storage losses and have provided access for CDT to specialist testing equipment
Collaborator Contribution CDT have provided substrates to University of Manchester as a basis to make new gas sensor devices
Impact Multi-disciplinary: Chemistry, Physics, Plant Science
Start Year 2018
 
Description NIAB 
Organisation National Institute of Agronomy and Botany (NIAB)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We have measured volatile headspace over rotten fruit and used this to develop sensors to detect these volatiles
Collaborator Contribution Plant Science partner on project, looking at the detection of rot in food storage
Impact Multidisciplinary - plant science, chemistry, physics and engineering
Start Year 2018
 
Description PlasticARMPIT 
Organisation Arm Limited
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Researchers at UoM fabricated and tested a gas sensor array for use in this electronic nose. They also developed hardware, firmware and software to integrate the various elements of the system to detect and qualify a persons body odour
Collaborator Contribution Arm developed software algorithms, Unilever provided data, samples and analytical chemistry, Pragmatic Printing developed and fabricated circuits to amplify and process the signals output by the sensor array.
Impact Multidisciplinary: Chemistry, Physics, Electronic Engineering, Computer Science 1.Rahmanudin, A. et al. Robust High-Capacitance Polymer Gate Dielectrics for Stable Low-Voltage Organic Field-Effect Transistor Sensors. Adv Electron Mater 6, 1901127 (2020). 2.Mougkogiannis, P., Turner, M. & Persaud, K. Amine Detection Using Organic Field Effect Transistor Gas Sensors. Sensors 21, 13 (2020). 3.Ozer, E. et al. Malodour classification with low-cost flexible electronics. Nat Commun 14, 777 (2023).
Start Year 2017
 
Description PlasticARMPIT 
Organisation Pragmatic Printing Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Researchers at UoM fabricated and tested a gas sensor array for use in this electronic nose. They also developed hardware, firmware and software to integrate the various elements of the system to detect and qualify a persons body odour
Collaborator Contribution Arm developed software algorithms, Unilever provided data, samples and analytical chemistry, Pragmatic Printing developed and fabricated circuits to amplify and process the signals output by the sensor array.
Impact Multidisciplinary: Chemistry, Physics, Electronic Engineering, Computer Science 1.Rahmanudin, A. et al. Robust High-Capacitance Polymer Gate Dielectrics for Stable Low-Voltage Organic Field-Effect Transistor Sensors. Adv Electron Mater 6, 1901127 (2020). 2.Mougkogiannis, P., Turner, M. & Persaud, K. Amine Detection Using Organic Field Effect Transistor Gas Sensors. Sensors 21, 13 (2020). 3.Ozer, E. et al. Malodour classification with low-cost flexible electronics. Nat Commun 14, 777 (2023).
Start Year 2017
 
Description PlasticARMPIT 
Organisation Unilever
Department Unilever UK R&D Centre Port Sunlight
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Researchers at UoM fabricated and tested a gas sensor array for use in this electronic nose. They also developed hardware, firmware and software to integrate the various elements of the system to detect and qualify a persons body odour
Collaborator Contribution Arm developed software algorithms, Unilever provided data, samples and analytical chemistry, Pragmatic Printing developed and fabricated circuits to amplify and process the signals output by the sensor array.
Impact Multidisciplinary: Chemistry, Physics, Electronic Engineering, Computer Science 1.Rahmanudin, A. et al. Robust High-Capacitance Polymer Gate Dielectrics for Stable Low-Voltage Organic Field-Effect Transistor Sensors. Adv Electron Mater 6, 1901127 (2020). 2.Mougkogiannis, P., Turner, M. & Persaud, K. Amine Detection Using Organic Field Effect Transistor Gas Sensors. Sensors 21, 13 (2020). 3.Ozer, E. et al. Malodour classification with low-cost flexible electronics. Nat Commun 14, 777 (2023).
Start Year 2017
 
Title ORGANIC FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTORS 
Description An organic field effect transistor (OFET) for use in a gas sensor for detecting the presence of one or more target gases, for example CO, CO2, NO, NO2, SO2 or O3. The OFET comprises a semiconducting layer arranged between a source electrode and a drain electrode, and additionally comprises a dielectric layer and a gate arranged on a substrate. The semiconducting layer is formed of a semiconducting material, suitably a semiconducting polymer, and an additive, suitably a multi-dentate organic ligand, for sensitising the semiconducting material to the presence of said target gases. The sensitising additive is present in the semiconducting material in an amount of up to 10 wt%. The OFET is suitably unencapsulated and suitably provides a sensitive and selective gas sensor which is stable to continuous operation in air. A gas sensor comprising the OFET and a method of preparing the OFET are also disclosed. 
IP Reference WO2020152449 
Protection Patent / Patent application
Year Protection Granted 2020
Licensed No
Impact Not at present