Scentian Bio, a New Zealand deep-tech company blending synthetic biology and AI, is preparing to launch ‘digital nose’, a sensing technology designed to help industries spot faults earlier.

For food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers, late-detected quality issues can lead to waste, rework, recalls, disputes and reputational risk. Scentian Bio’s digital nose is designed to be a repeatable approach that can support day-to-day operational decisions, enabling preventative action before issues arise.

The platform is built on more than 20 years of research into insect biology by scientists at the Bioeconomy Science Institute (formerly Plant and Food Research). Insects can detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at enormous distances and at microscopic scales. These tiny chemicals are linked to everything from fruit ripeness to disease markers in human breath, inspiring the design of Scentian Bio’s sensing technology.

Cutting-edge tech

Scentian Bio translates those biological principles into engineered sensors using synthetic odorant receptors, which can be produced cheaply on mass and connected with a transducer to create a biosensor.

Scentian Bio’s solution – dubbed an ‘insect nose on a chip’ – are handheld devices which can detect target VOCs and upload data to the cloud, enabling low-cost deployment across the entire supply chain, from factory to retail outlet.

”Food producers make high-stakes decisions every day,” says Jonathan Good, chief executive and co-founder of Scentian Bio.

“When you can detect issues earlier, you can act sooner, before issues emerge. This can reduce waste, rework and write-offs, protect brand trust and strengthen assurance. Our aim is to shift testing from the lab to operations so food producers can get the best out of every ingredient.”

Strong capital backing

Early investors, including Icehouse Ventures, Cultivate Ventures, NZGCP, Toyota Ventures, DYDX Capital, K1W1, Booster and others, have backed Scentian Bio with $7 million in a pre-Series A round.

Icehouse Ventures principal Bex Gidall says: “Scentian Bio is a great example of New Zealand research translating into globally relevant technology.

“What stood out to us as investors is the strength of the platform technology. Scentian is initially focused on food, but the underlying sensing technology also has applications across human and environmental health. Technologies with that breadth of application are rare, and it will be exciting to see how this ‘digital nose’ develops.”

In 2022, Scentian Bio received international endorsement from the Gates Foundation, including a $2.7 million grant. The company now has seven food sector pilot customers and expects to begin shipping within months.

The new funding will allow Scentian Bio to expand its food industry sales while advancing its technology. The company is setting up manufacturing in Auckland and growing its sales and support teams to meet demand. The funds will also support continued development of the next-generation digital nose for broader applications, including biosecurity, medical detection, environmental protection and the wellness industries.