Portable Gadgets For Food Safety

Filed in archive Diagnostics, Methodologies and Instrumentation on February 23, 2006

This entry is submitted by Gloria Gamat, via Creative Reporter.Quality assurance and food safety are some of the main concern of the general public when it comes to food. The most undesirable chemical contaminants found in food are antibiotics and pesticides, and there are regulations in terms of allowable levels or concentrations of these compounds in food products. However, currently, the detection of bacteria or pesticides in different food products is only possible by laboratory analysis which takes days for results to arrive.

Scientists working on theGood Foods Project at the National Microelectronics Centre in Spain are developing tiny biomechanical and microelectronic sensors that can be used to screen for virtually any pathogen or toxin in any produce.

The device is a fluorescent optical biosensor that measures the reaction of a probe coated with antibodies when it comes into contact with antibiotics present in milk or other dairy products.

The research is currently focusing on quality and safety analysis for dairy goods, fruit and wine. But also, they plan to develop other sensors based on an immunodiagnostic microarray that can be used to identify pesticides on fruit and vegetables.

Currently producers check milk for antibiotic residues using a non-reusable litmus paper testing kit. An electronic device of the kind being developed by GoodFood would make the tests faster, cheaper and more accurate.

Aside from testing for antibiotics, the group is also developing other devices useful for securing food safety such as:

• DNA biochip-based sensor, to detect pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria and other fungi


• immunodiagnostic microarray sensor, to identify pesticides on fruit and vegetables, and


• ethylene and oxygen sensor, to control ripening of fruits post-harvest

Read more at Lab Technologist.Com.

About Gloria Gamat: Gloria is a Chemist and a single mom. Gloria also blogs about motherhood at EMothersOnline and about life and travel in the Philippines at The Philippine Culture Blog and at Pinoy Travel Blog respectively.