Edible Microlasers for Food Security: Barcodes and Biosensors

Researchers at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia, have developed 'edible microlasers' made from food-safe materials for food monitoring and product authentication. These microlasers are tiny lasers composed of droplets of oil or water–glycerol mixtures doped with natural optical gain substances like chlorophyll or riboflavin.

These microlasers can be excited using external light and have different configurations like whispering gallery modes and Fabry–Pérot cavities. They can serve as optical barcodes and sensors, encoding information into food products and responding to changes in pH, temperature, and more.

The researchers emphasize that these microlasers do not affect the food's taste or nutritional value and are suitable for vegetarians. This innovative approach combines photonics and food science to reduce food waste, detect counterfeits, and enhance food quality control.

Aside from the food industry, this technology may have applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture, and other fields requiring ingestible barcodes and sensors.

According to the source: Optics.org.