By Sola Ogundipe
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a smartphone-based technology capable of detecting bacterial contamination on surfaces within minutes.
It is a breakthrough researchers say could strengthen hygiene monitoring in hospitals, food factories, gyms and other public spaces.
The technology, known as ‘BactiSee’, combines a chemically coated testing chip with smartphone imaging technology to quickly determine how clean a surface is and whether harmful bacteria may be present.
It is based on well over a decade of research, and researchers say the innovation could transform how businesses and health institutions monitor contamination risks, especially in environments where rapid sanitation checks are critical.
“This rapid, on-site microbial risk check gives users greater confidence in surface cleanliness, supports more effective sanitization decisions and helps reduce preventable cross-contamination.”, said Yuzhen Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher at UMass Amherst who helped develop the technology.
“BactiSee looks like a COVID test crossed with a smartphone. It provides a direct and reliable measurement of bacterial contamination, with results available in about five minutes,” Zhang explained.
Zhang worked alongside Professor Lili He, Head of the Food Science Department at the university, on the research that led to the development of the device.
The project is based on more than a decade of scientific research and has now been spun off into a startup company, HertZ Innovation Inc., which is preparing to commercialise the technology.
Researchers say BactiSee is designed to provide fast, reliable and portable contamination testing without relying heavily on laboratory analysis. The technology could become a major tool in food safety monitoring and infection prevention as concerns grow globally over bacterial transmission in public environments.
Currently, the most reliable way to measure bacterial contamination on surfaces is through swab-and-culture testing in a laboratory—a process that can take one to two days, making it impractical for routine, on-site decision-making.
“We believe this collaboration is a strong example of how the UMass ecosystem supports UMass-developed technologies by helping bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and real-world impact,” say Zhang and He.
“Ultimately, by working across campus our research can help further the common good by giving inspectors the tools they need to protect public health.”
