New device lets food industry monitor safety along entire value chain
In 2016, the global food safety testing market was valued at well over EUR 11 million. Between 2018 and 2023, it is forecasted to grow by 7.2 % (CAGR). With numbers like these, it should come as no surprise that the food health and safety arena is a crowded one, with many large companies offering solutions to protect our food against pathogens, allergens and toxins. The problem, however, is that these devices require that the testing be done in a lab. BIOLAN, a European SME operating in the field of biosensors for food safety monitoring, is on a mission to disrupt this lucrative market. Its goal: to create a point-of-care device that provides the same level of results as today’s lab-based systems even when used in the field. The first step towards achieving this is FOODSELFI (FOOD Safety monitoring by Electrochemical Lateral Flow Immunoassay), an EU-funded project aimed at overcoming the current limitations of lateral flow (LF) technology for the development of a rapid quantitative test. “The device we set out to create was essentially modelled on the common, easy-to-use pregnancy test,” explains project coordinator Arrate Jaureguibeitia. Easy testing, quick answers A pregnancy test, scientifically referred to as a lateral flow immunoassay (LFI), is a simple, paper-based device that detects the presence or absence of a targeted substance in a liquid sample without the need for specialised and costly equipment. You use the test and just minutes later you get an answer: a line if you are pregnant, no line if you’re not. Similarly, the FOODSELFI device is a paper-based test capable of providing the user with quick answers. But instead of telling you if you’re pregnant or not, FOODSELFI lets the user know whether the food being tested is safe. To do this, project researchers developed a more sensitive method of LFI, called electrochemical lateral flow immunoassay (ELFI). By applying electrode samples to the device, the user gets a quick, quantitative analysis of the product. “This ELFI prototype is the basis for developing an easy-to-use analytical device that the food industry can use to monitor safety along the entire food value chain,” says Jaureguibeitia. Moving towards commercialisation Through the FOODSELFI project, BIOLAN developed an innovation strategy focused on paper-based bio-sensing devices. But in today’s high-tech world, why paper? “Applying such alternative materials as paper to manufacturing diagnostic devices is an opportunity to reduce the use of single-use plastic devices,” explains Jaureguibeitia. “BIOLAN aims to apply paper as an active bio-sensing platform to develop eco-friendly diagnostic devices.” According to Jaureguibeitia, commercialising paper-based immunobiosensors has the potential to allow the food industry to better monitor such parameters as allergens and pathogens. “Because it is highly accurate, portable, fast and user-friendly, FOODSELFI will have a clear and positive impact on the quality control process of food production,” she concludes.
Keywords
FOODSELFI, food safety, food security, lateral flow immunoassay, electrochemical lateral flow immunoassay, Biolan
