Cellphones Can Detect Allergens in Food Samples

An app and a smartphone camera can help determine the presence of allergens in cooked food. Based on technology developed by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) the cellphone can test for allergens in food on the spot with sensitivity similar to a laboratory test, according to a study that will appear in a forthcoming issue of Lab on a Chip. The 40 gram device, called iTube, attaches to the existing camera on a cellphone to detect and optically quantify allergen contamination in food products. In this validation study the iTube accurately identified peanut traces in commercially available cookies. Sample preparation takes about 20 minutes, requiring mixing food samples with hot water, an extraction solvent, and reactive testing liquids. Following sample preparation, iTube images and automatically analyzes colorimetric assays performed in the sample and control test tubes and digitally processes them in about a second. Lead researcher Aydogan Ozcan, Ph.D., an associate professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering at UCLA, says the iTube platform can test for a variety of additional allergens, including almonds, eggs, gluten, and hazelnuts. For more information on advances in the use of cellphone-based diagnostic technologies, please see Inside the Diagnostics Industry on […]