Food‐Activated Microneedle Sensor for Real‐Time, Colorimetric Spoilage Monitoring of Pre‐Packaged Food

At a time of growing food insecurity, developing technologies to reduce food waste is critical. An inexpensive, colorimetric spoilage sensor for real-time food product assessment is reported. The sensor is composed of dehydrated gelatin microneedles that exhibit high mechanical integrity in their base state. However, once exposed to fluid-rich food environments, they rapidly transition to a hydrogel sensing state. Food-derived anthocyanins …