The supply chain that brings meat to market worldwide is highly complex and usually very efficient. But when disruptions in one part of the world can result in transportation delays an ocean and a continent away, meat spoilage becomes a very real risk to food producers, vendors and consumers. This is especially true if food inspection protocols are lax.
To improve food safety, a group of Concordia researchers designed a new, inexpensive, reliable and consumer-friendly technology that identifies the presence of the toxin putrescine in beef. As its name denotes, putrescine is responsible for the noxious odours of putrefying meats, and, if consumed in large doses, can cause headaches, vomiting, diarrhea and heart palpitations. It has also been linked to higher risks of colorectal cancer.
The researchers explain how they developed the paper-based synthetic biosensor in the journal Applied Bio Materials using a protein found in nature.
“Making a rapid, easy-to-use biosensor for people to check the quality of the food they are eating is empowering,” says lead author Alaa Selim, MSc 22, now pursuing her PhD at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization. “We wanted to make a device that anyone could use, that is disposable and contained no toxic materials.”
Her co-authors include her former PhD student colleagues at the Shih Microfluidics Lab, James Perry, Mohamed Nasr and Jay Pimprikar, as well as Steve Shih, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.