Agricultural Research

A key research area of the Biomedical Sensors Laboratory is in agriculture. Just as in humans, animals and plants both generate odours that can be linked to disease and health and can be monitored using a wide range of lab based and portable sensing technologies. Two examples of these are given below, but the activities of the group are wider. Further information on the impact of the research can be found hereLink opens in a new window.

Potato and Onion Storage 

A key focus of our research is developing technologies to monitor crops both in storage and during transit. Much of this work is carried out in partnership with industry, with current projects targeting potatoes and onions to improve monitoring and reduce losses across the supply chain.

• Bacterial soft rot disease results in significant losses in UK potato stores
• Difficult to monitor in very large (>1000 tonne stores), where access to potatoes for visual inspection is difficult
• About 80,000 tonnes seed is exported out of the EU
• 30 percent of seed potatoes (80,000 tonnes) grown in Scotland are exported out of the EU generating £35 million for the economy
• 2,000 tonnes of Scottish seed denied entry to importing countries since 2013
• Soft rots cited as the cause of rejection for 1500 tonnes every year.
• Main concern are rots that appear post inspection on arrival;
• Stocks that have been passed by official inspectors but which have then degraded rapidly causing a total loss.
• Latent infection is a challenge for exporters as disease may not have had time to manifest prior to shipping or by the time of the official inspection.

At present, no technology exists to monitor soft rot in commercial stores or during transit. Early detection, however, would give farmers and store managers the opportunity to make informed decisions about managing infected crops. Options might include selling them into food or animal feed markets, or adjusting storage conditions to limit further losses.

We believe that modern gas analysis technology offers a viable route to achieving automated detection of soft rot. Shown below is an example of a unit developed specifically for this purpose.

Animal Health

A second key agricultural focus of the Biomedical Sensors Laboratory is applying odour analysis technologies to monitor animal health. Unlike humans, animals cannot communicate how they feel, so there is a strong need for non-invasive diagnostic tools. By analysing biological waste such as stool and urine, we can gain valuable insights into gut health and disease.

Our work spans several species, including cows, sheep, and pigs. One example involves pigs and dietary intervention, where animals were fed either a high-protein or lower-protein diet. By analysing stool samples, our system was able to detect clear differences in odour profiles with high accuracy. This research, supported by DSM (Switzerland), demonstrates the potential of odour-based monitoring to improve animal health management.