Beckman instruments help to ensure food safety by measuring the oxygen content of the headspace inside food packaging. Oxygen readings that are too high could indicate an environment that encourages the growth of mold or bacteria.

Developed from a Linus Pauling design during WWII, the technology behind Beckman Instruments’ oxygen analyzers ended up doing such diverse jobs as monitoring astronauts’ respiration, maintaining packaged food safety, and preventing blindness in newborn babies.