This proposal responds to the USDA's topic 8.5 - food science and nutrition, subtopic f. Nutrition security, food safety, and quality data tools

Interlink Electronics, Inc. received a $175,000 project grant awarded September 15, 2025, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 10.212). The award supports development of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based post-harvest food quality and safety monitoring platform that integrates innovative printed toxic gas sensors with data fusion and smart analytics capabilities. The sensor platform is designed to operate as a low-cost, extremely low-power monitoring and control system for use throughout the agricultural supply chain, including processing, storage, and transportation phases.

The deliverable addresses critical food industry challenges by providing advanced sensor nodes capable of monitoring conditions that contribute to post-harvest food losses, which globally account for approximately 15% of total food production. The resulting technology platform is intended to eliminate billions of dollars in annual losses within the agricultural produce supply chain while establishing a foundation for expansion to additional food and agriculture applications, as well as other manufacturing sectors requiring process control and leak detection capabilities. The project completion date is May 14, 2026, with work performed at the awardee's location in Irvine, California.

Our proposal addresses integration of next generation, innovative, printed toxic gas sensors developed at interlink electronics with data fusion and smart analytics to develop an innovative AI-based post-harvest food quality and safety monitor. Today the food industry is a $2 trillion activity in the USA alone, and >US$9T worldwide, with an annual growth of ~6-10%! Food and agriculture are fundamentally important to a thriving society. Packaged foods alone account for >$1T in business in the US today. IT is estimated that globally around 15% of the world's food is lost after harvesting and before reaching the retail level, including through on-farm activities, storage, and transportation. The losses are highest for fruits and vegetables at all points in the food supply chain. The proposed work will provide advanced processing and material measurements [low-cost sensor nodes] that will have enormous impacts by improving the food industry efficacy and safety for widespread societal benefit. This proposed research will develop a low, cost, extremely low power sensor, alarm and controller for agricultural manufacturing - processing, storage and transport. The proposed work, if successful, will develop a sensor platform for monitoring and control of processes within the food chain. These sensors provide a tool to eliminate much of the billions lost each year in the agricultural produce food supply chain. Starting with these post-harvest quality sensors, the resulting technology platform can be expanded to additional applications improving cost effectiveness and time efficiency in other areas of food and agriculture as well as other manufacturing industries. Similar large networks of low-cost sensors are needed for process control and leak detection in areas such as the energy sector (hydrocarbons, hydrogen and ammonia.