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Content archived on 2024-04-30

BIOSENSORS FOR ASSAY OF QUALITY CONTROL OF FOODS

Objective

The aim of this project is the development of electrochemical biosensors for lysine and furosine to be used for rapid analysis of food quality control.

The specific objectives are to :

- set-up a new and rapid method for protein hydrolysis by microwave technique;
- assemble and evaluate of a newly designed biosensor for analysis of lysine in food;
- develop a prototype for on-line measurement of lysine in food;
- assemble and evaluate of an immunosensor for determination of furosine in food;
- evaluate of the food quality by coupling of the hydrolysis-biosensors techniques.

The sensors developed will be used to measure the nutritional quality of food. Such a task will be accomplished by the development of a newly designed enzyme probe for lysine, which will be interference free from other amino acids and will perform the analysis of lysine produced by protein hydrolysis in less than 1 hour. This goal will be reached by coupling a microwave hydrolysis technique with the fast and accurate determination of lysine with the biosensor.

In addition, a furosine electrochemical immunosensor will be developed. This compound is formed when a reducing sugar reacts with the free amino group of proteins, mainly the amino group of lysine. This is known as the Maillard reaction, and is believed to be the main outcome of food heating. We propose herein a combined biosensor/immunosensor method for the determination of free lysine and furosine. The analysis of furosine will, first, be carried out using a colorimetric Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA). This method will be further developed and adapted to an electrochemical detection.

Both the procedures for lysine and furosine will be tested during processing and storage of food produced by La Molisana, Italy (minor subcontractor).

The proposed method will be ultimately lead to a portable amperometric based instrument which could be operated by non-scientific personnel. This will be a low cost instrument, not only from its construction point of view (less than 1,000 ECU), but also the cost per assay will be very low, thus providing a huge advantage over chromatographic methodologies.

The method, when developed, will be useful in all high tech food processing and packaging industries to assess the nutritional quality of food, feeds and beverages.

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Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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Funding Scheme

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CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK
EU contribution
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Address

CORK
Ireland

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Total cost

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Participants (3)

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