Breath analysis sensor for disease detection in the dairy industry

Dairy products accounts for some 5% of the global food intake, with dairy industry revenues in 2019 of around €675 billion.

This dietary component is important in the global challenge of feeding the increasing human population that is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050. To attain peak productivity and efficiency, the health and well-being of each dairy cow is of paramount importance.

We aim to use a non-invasive and automated spectroscopic sensor applied on breath, so that illness in individual cows can be detected well before clinical symptoms manifest.

The technology is derived from the extremely sensitive and ultra-high spectral resolution cavity-enhanced spectroscopic methods developed in fundamental investigations on molecular hydrogen.

We will first target ketosis, which is a common metabolic deficiency that causes estimated losses of more than €1 billion per year for the EU dairy farming industry.

The continuous monitoring and early illness detection would enable timely and tailored feed adjustments by farmers to prevent or alleviate disease progression.

The goal of this project is to make a portable prototype and explore opportunities of building a sustainable business around it.

This novel and unique method will not only help reduce economic costs and minimize environmental emissions, but will help ensure a better quality of life for the farm animals.