An electronic nose which can sniff out a range of diseases and check the quality of food has been put to use in a central Russian city, following its success in the U.S. and Europe.

The so-called electronic nose works by taking microbes from the human tongue and then special sensors can sniff out whether there is abnormal activity in the stomach. So, rather than performing an endoscopy, which involves sticking a tube down the throat to the intestines, the new device can be used.

Results are 74 per cent reliable, and while that is not perfect, doctors say the process has many advantages.

“It’s simple to use and we get the results quite fast,” said Sergey Doubrovsky, Doctor of Gastroenterology at the children’s hospital of Voronezh.

“This method doesn’t require any specialised skills or training. It is also non-invasive, so patients get little discomfort,” the doctor added.

The ‘nose’ is already in use in Europe and the U.S. but in Russia it can only be found in Voronezh, and not just in the city’s hospitals. The device is also used to sniff out additives in food and to see just how fresh a product is.

A sample is put into an air tight container and then the nose is used to detect any harmful bacteria, working very much like a human nose, only ultra sensitive

“It can distinguish different scents; tell pleasant scents from unpleasant ones, safe ones from dangerous ones,” Tatyana Kuchmenko, Doctor of Chemical Science, Voronezh State Technological Academy, explained. “So it can check the quality of food, the safety of the air in a room, and do many other tasks”.