To more effectively prevent defective agri-food products to enter the market and reaching consumers, there is a high demand for analytical methods with rapid turnaround time and can be performed at locations where the analysis is needed (i.e., point-of-need).
Point-of-need analytical methods use compact, simplified, and user-friendly devices to achieve rapid, accurate and real-time analysis of targets of interest. These methods can be easily performed to monitor and assess the safety and quality of agri-food products at various points throughout the supply chain. This enables immediate action to be taken if problems are detected, ensuring that only integral products can reach consumers.
In the FACT Lab, two major application scenarios we focus on include 1) standalone testing methods employing portable instrument and/or microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip” platforms, and 2) sensors that can be integrated with packaging materials for intelligent packaging technologies.
Technical skills involved:
- Analytical chemistry
- Chem-/bio-sensors
- Nucleic acid-based testing
- Nanomaterials
- Packaging materials
- Microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip”
- Signal/data processing
Examples:
Rapid detection of Salmonella in agri-food products based on isothermal DNA amplification and microfluidic devices (https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.3c00387)
Paper-based microfluidic device for rapid detection of nitrite in meat (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126396)
Sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers-surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy for rapid analysis of melamine in milk (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.12.051)