Creating a machine that can detect harmful substances in food for home use

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of creating a machine capable of detecting harmful substances in food for home use. Participants explore the challenges and feasibility of such a device, considering various factors related to food safety, detection methods, and the complexities of toxins present in food items.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant highlights the lack of access to information about harmful substances in food, particularly in developing countries, and proposes the idea of a home detection machine.
  • Another participant argues that detecting harmful substances is complex due to the selective accumulation of toxins in specific parts of food, suggesting that surface testing may not provide accurate safety assessments.
  • It is noted that each foodstuff and toxin may require a tailored identification process and detector, emphasizing the need to know what to look for before developing detection methods.
  • A participant expresses the desire to create a device that can detect a wide range of toxins and provide health information, but questions the feasibility of such a comprehensive approach.
  • Concerns are raised about the difficulty of distinguishing between harmful toxins and safe natural changes in food, questioning how to determine dangerous levels of substances.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of creating a universal detection machine for food toxins. While some acknowledge the potential benefits, others emphasize the significant challenges and complexities involved, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the need for specific detection methods tailored to individual toxins and food types, as well as the challenges of accurately assessing safety based on complex food compositions.

Docscientist
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Hello brothers and sisters of different countries,

We all know our foods are not without chemicals and other substances that are harmful for our health.We know the major cause is because most of the people in various countries do not have access to knowing what a food item contains and how harmful it is for their health.In many developing countries,the agencies which are responsible for checking the harmful contents in the food do not work properly and favour the capitalists.

The result is the developing countries with the highest population become victims of unknown diseases.
Mahatma Gandhi,in his book,tells that the best diet to avoid any disease is fruit and nut.But the problem is even the fruits contain chemicals that are sprayed on it for early ripening and other pesticides for killing pests.
What if there is a machine in every home that can detect the harmful substance present in it and inform the consumer about the risks of the substance and how to get rid of it ?

The problem is I don't have any idea how to do this or where to start this.I think millions of lives will be saved if someone volunteers to tell me about the possible ways to create that machine.
 
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What you ask for is brutally difficult.
Substances that are harmful may accumulate selectively in specific parts of a food, for instance the seeds of a pear, so testing the surface will give a misleading impression of safety. Worse, we do not have sensors that can be used repeatedly or that can monitor a variety of potential toxins.
It is probably more practical to monitor/ regulate the production and distribution of toxic materials, even though that will always fall short of the end user testing that we all would really prefer.
 
For each and every foodstuff and toxin there will be an optimum identification process and detector.
You need to know exactly what to look for before you start looking.
 
Baluncore said:
For each and every foodstuff and toxin there will be an optimum identification process and detector.
You need to know exactly what to look for before you start looking.
Look for all kinds of toxins.I just want to create a device in such a way that it can detect almost all the toxins present in the food,inform people about how harmful it is for their health and suggest ways to control the effects of toxins present in the food.
Any idea about How I should go about creating this ?
 
Docscientist said:
Look for all kinds of toxins.
That is impossible.
For example, how would you know if a change in spectral transmission through a food was due to a toxin or some safe natural change?

Everything exists in everything else to some extent. When does the level of something become dangerous. How close should you look at the complexity of food. Is all cyanide toxic? What level of naturally occurring cyanide is safe in apricots?
 
This could be what you are looking for, check out their demo video
 

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