Innovative food origin tech showcased at World Expo

ANSTO will present its innovative food origin technology at the Australia Pavilion at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, from 8–10 October 2025. ANSTO will run six live science shows and one panel discussion.  

ANSTO’s food origin project lead Dr Debashish Mazumder has developed a technique which uses nuclear technology and machine learning to verify the geographic origin of food with over 85 per cent accuracy. 

The technology analyses the unique “environmental fingerprint”—a geochemical and isotope signature—that plants and animals absorb from their surrounding environment. An environmental fingerprint database is then created using authentic samples and machine learning techniques are used to identify the true geographical origin of the products.   

ANSTO’s food origin technology—uniquely deployable in the field via a portable handheld XRF scanner—is highly reliable and effective across a wide range of natural products including seafood, meat, fruit, bushfood, vegetables, grains and even coral. 

ANSTO’s technology targets food fraud—the act of purposely selling fake, mislabelled or substituted food products for economic gain—a global, multi-billion-dollar problem. Every day over a million people globally fall ill from unsafe or contaminated foods.  

ANSTO’s live food origin science shows  

• 8–10 October, Forecourt Stage, the Australia Pavilion, two, 25 minute shows per day.  

• Speakers include Dr Mazumder, ANSTO education officerSarah Tyler and ANSTO education manager Dr Bridget Murphy, along with ANSTO’s original animated character, Kai the Koi fish.  

• Four science-themed challenges, inspired by Japanese game shows, will be presented along with interactive demonstrations, a replica of ANSTO’s portable XRF scanner and entertaining, accessible videos explaining the science behind the innovation.