The quality of fermented milk products will be assessed by the photo

Scientists at the ITMO Scientific and Educational Center for Infochemistry have created Russia's first smartphone-based system that evaluates the growth of lactic acid bacteria from the group of thermophilic streptococcus (Streptococcus thermophilus) from a photograph. It will help to quickly assess microbiological indicators right during the production process.

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"During the growth of thermophilic streptococcus, the acidity of the medium gradually changes, and this is visually manifested in a change in the color of the indicator added to the sample. The user takes a photo of a Petri dish with bacteria on his smartphone, and then uploads the photo to our Telegram bot," Olga Osmak, one of the authors of the study, an engineer at the ITMO Scientific and Educational Center for Infochemistry, told Izvestia.

A color analysis algorithm using a hexadecimal color code automatically detects the contour of a Petri dish and removes background and noise. Next, it calculates the average color values of the uploaded image and compares them with the previously constructed color gradient of 25 reference images that are stored in a local database.

Lactic acid bacteria are indispensable in the pharmaceutical and food industries, the scientists noted. During fermentation, they produce lactic acid, which is used in the production of yoghurts, cheeses and other fermented dairy products, and also serves as a natural preservative for many foods. In addition, lactic acid is a part of creams, serums and other cosmetics.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

In direct kefir: the quality of fermented milk products will be assessed by the photo