I know DH uses something like this in his work.  He has joked about "borrowing" one.

I can't remember what they use it for.  Not food, lol.

Well, this is sort of my area of expertise-- and my DH's, mind-- there's probably no non-destructive method that would have a suitably low limit of determination.

There REALLY isn't one for a method that would work in a hand-held spectrometric system. 

Sure, this kind of technology exists-- for surface analysis.  Fluorimetry.  But the catch is that it really-- really-- is not a good thing for evaluating anything organic.  It determines metals really well.  This is why "point-and-click" systems can be used to determine LEAD in surfaces (like old paint).  X-ray methods, similarly-- detection works great on surfaces, and it's pretty rugged and dead-accurate.

No such thing exists for organic molecules in complex matrices.

This is a sampling problem that no amount of wishful thinking will ever make less daunting.

There is a reason why Nebraska is one of the few places capable of reproducibly conducting low-detection limit analysis of food allergens in whole food samples-- it's really not a simple thing from an analytical standpoint.  Not simple at all.

On the spectrometer if one were to build a better mousetrap with allergen detection, surface reflection at one point would be a huge problem going in. Maybe something more penetrative like radiowaves. I'm not sure how a light reflection would bore through mass to get under the surface in order to scan a plate full of food in three dimensions.

The entire business model is probably one that is 1) primarily for gathering data on user data 2) the use is most likely limited to non-medical/pseudomedical with an incredibly impressive CYA clause like lottery tickets are for "entertainment purposes only".

This does not preclude the invention of practical devices that scan in order to deliver valuable medical information but identifying all possible protein fractions, of almost every known substance plus chemicals in one laser light point out of an entire meal? At what concentration does it begin to register? If I remember correctly this woman is the one that promotes the whole pseudoallergy cause.

From a business stand point alone why does she have no endorsements from leading food allergy or Celiac foundations? I can understand wanting a device like this to perform as we would need it to be a life-saving device. The marketing is there. The science? Scanadu is the one device likely to be used in medicine. A limited spectrometer for allergen detection at that point I think getting a service dog is more reliable. The more that's hidden the more burden of proof should be produced considering the claim.

I can't imagine such a powerful device being so small and so affordable.

There *are* such 'star trek like' scanners out there in industry --- sounds like the same tech as what their article talks about...like this http://www.ahurascientific.com/material-verification/products/truscan/#

But what she's selling? It'd be great, but I'm inclined to be skeptical until they'd publish research that's verified by independent research groups.

Can you imagine the liability?

I don't care about the data-mining.  Someone keeping track of people avoiding allergens in restaurants would be a good thing.

It's the actual "working properly" that concerns me.

It makes the perfect stocking stuffer for the Jenny McCarthy in your life.

I have no doubt that it performs the tasks it's programmed to do. Which is conveniently, shhhhh, IP. 

Think about it this way. We've all known how to save a suspected contaminated food for testing in Nebraska for quite a while. Will they be saying Dash it all! We no longer need our labs and coats! Extra snark courtesy of poster related to or knowing half of the crop and food science dept of local ag university.

---

This is what I expect what the lattice work behind the whole thing is like, and why it successfully found investors. It's probably a shaver and cartridge model, or if you like game console and games, or tablet and apps to get really current. Sort of a dietary FaceBook they sell the devices at a loss because the device only scans, the software logs and reads back something. Read the article her friend is a mathematician and later on she makes reference to 'big data' with regard to what will happen with all the user information. The investors are looking for that big data payoff to mine the living crap out of how users are eating, what they are eating, what they are concerned about, essentially it's a genius way to peep over your shoulder as you're eating.

Your habit data is worth more than the cost of selling the device and/or service at a loss.

I'm skeptical that this could really work, yet alone on a level we could ever use.  I'm still dreaming...

I agree with her friend.

This leans far in to the alt med definition of allergies, buyer beware.

QuoteThis tool, she decided, "should be able to point at food and tell what food it is — if it has gluten, if it has dioxins — or point at the wall to see if the wall has mold and, if so, what kind. Point at the air we breathe and see if it has pollution, and so on," says Hoffmann. Her friend Stephen Watson told her, "That sounds like Star Trek — I don't think that's a reality possible today."

http://mashable.com/2013/11/26/tellspec/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link

Further in the article it also lists nuts and dairy.

Add sesame and it would be worth the initial expected cost of $350 to me, assuming it works.