| Abstract: |
Scientists have developed a portable device with advanced sensors that can accurately identify fake or watered-down alcohol, offering a strategy for liquor quality assurance. Watered-down or fake liquors can reap financial rewards for nefarious individuals, but the adulteration of liquor cheats consumers and can even lead to health hazards from added contaminants. In the past few years, deaths from contaminated alcohol have been reported in Indonesia, Mexico, China, Poland and Russia, among other places. Unscrupulous individuals hoping to make a profit may homebrew liquor and bottle it in official-looking packaging or dilute liquor with anything from water to antifreeze. Kenneth S Suslick and Zheng Li from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US wanted to address this growing health concern by engineering a device that can easily identify tainted products. |
