New Handheld Device, called PERES, Protects Against Food Poisoning by Alerting Users of Spoiled Food

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We believe PERES will be an invaluable tool for families to monitor the freshness and safety of their food.

London, UK (PRWEB) April 14, 2014

PERES, a first-of-its-kind handheld device and mobile app which provides information about the freshness and quality of meat, poultry, and fish and protects against food poisoning, is now available for pre-order on Indiegogo.

The world’s first portable ‘e-nose’ and its iOS/Android mobile app enables users to determine the quality, freshness of meat, poultry, and fish and whether it has gone bad and could potentially cause food poisoning. The device also helps to limit unnecessary food waste, by testing the meat which is out of date or close to expiring.

"Can you be confident that you can identify food quality just by the sense of smell? Some of the poisonous compounds that are produced when meat spoils are actually odorless," said Augustas Alesiunas, CEO of ARS Lab LTD (creators of PERES). "Unless you are preparing meals in a sterile laboratory you really don't have the ability to know. Early food spoilage can occur just because of contact with cookware or other foods stored in the fridge."

To operate the device, users simply point the PERES at meat and click a button. It works by analyzing a sample of the gases for volatile organic compounds and amonia. Within a few seconds, users receive information on their smartphone or tablet about the food's freshness, whether it's been left unrefridgerated and whether there may be a risk of food poisoning.

Food-related illness is a global challenge and in the U.S. alone it's estimated that there are 48 million cases of food-borne illness, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, each year (source: CDC).

"The World Health Organization estimates that one out of three people living in industrialized countries may be affected by food-borne illness each year," added Alesiunas. "Having suffered through the horrible experience of food poisoning myself, I decided to create a device that would help families quickly and easily check the freshness and quality of food."

The PERES can also help reduce the costly problem of food waste by determining if food is still fresh and safe to eat. It's estimated that the average U.S. household of four is losing $275-$455 per year on food that's needlessly trashed. It's also estimated that up to 90% of Americans throw food out prematurely (source: NRDC/Harvard Report).

With its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, ARS Lab LTD is raising funds to complete product development and to bring PERES to market in late 2014. The Indiegogo goal is set for $50,000; and with early contributions, the campaign is on pace to surpass this goal. The campaign is set to run until May 31, 2014.

“We believe PERES will be an invaluable tool for families to monitor the safety and freshness of their food, and we are extremely grateful for the support and validation the device is receiving from early contributors on Indiegogo,” says Alesiunas.

For more information and to see the PERES, please visit the crowdfunding campaign page on Indiegogo.

About PERES

PERES is the world’s first portable ‘e-nose’ – a unique and innovative electronic device and mobile application which enables users to determine the quality, freshness of meat, poultry, and fish. It works by taking a sample of the gases emitted by the food product and testing them for concentration of various volatile organic compounds and amonia well as measuring the temperature and humidity. The findings are then analysed to determine the food product’s quality, freshness and nutritional value, and transferred to a tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth. PERES was developed by ARS Lab LTD, a company dedicated to creating innovative products and solutions for the food and agricultural sectors.

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