FOODSNIFFER
FOOD Safety at the point-of-Need via monolithic spectroscopic
chip identiFying harmFul substances in frEsh pRoduce
Concern for our food is growing in Europe, driven by industrialized food
production and repeated crises. Current analytical technology is too expensive
and bound to laboratory tests. This problem requires more massive screening of
food and water extending from the source to the point of consumption. A lowcost and portable system delivering analytical data to a central location would
help to prevent or identify early any food safety threat outbreaks and thereby
massively reduce human suffering and its associated financial cost on both sides
of the global divide.
FOODSNIFFER is field-deployable and simple-to-use as a result of the integration of three major innovations:
 the all-silicon optoelectronic transducer based on Broad-Band Mach-Zehnder Interferometry that integrates the light-sources,
sensing elements, spectral analyzer and photodetectors, in a single chip and is capable of synchronous highly-sensitive labelfree multi-analyte detection
 the wafer-scale microfluidics and filtration systems into a disposable unit that unburden intensive sample preparation
 the development of a low-power reader controlled by a smartphone through a custom-produced application. The software
controls the sensor and also processes its signal and then sends the results securely via the internet during the on-the-spot
food safety analysis.
FOODSNIFFER is a complete business solution which will be demonstrated in three areas of great importance to European
society and regulators, viz. the detection of pesticide residues, mycotoxins and allergens in selected food categories in order
to demonstrate field-based detection of harmful species at low concentrations, which is a feat unattained so far by any pointof-need system.
Detection of allergens in food: detection of goat milk adulteration with bovine milk
1.0
0%
0.8
Radians
0.6
0.2%
0.4
0.5%
0.2
(Sx/S0)%
0.1%
0.0
0
25
50
75
100
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Detection limit achieved: 0.04% (v/v)
bovine milk in goat milk.
Maximum allowable concentration of
bovine milk to goat milk for
adulteration control <1% (v/v)
0.0
0.1
Time (sec x 10)
0.2
0.3
cow milk %
0.4
0.5
Detection of mycotoxins in beers and cereals: ochratoxin A detection in beer
0.5
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
anti-mouse IgG Ab
0.4
beer diluted
16-times in
Mab
assay buffer
+ beer sample
assay buffer
OTA
0 ng/mL
0.2
0.1
OTA
20 ng/mL
0.0
-0.1
-0.2
0
100
200
Detection limit achieved: 10 ng/mL
OTA in beer
(Sx/S0) %
Radians
0.3
300
0
Time (x10 s)
20
40
60
80
100
OTA in beer (ng/ml)
Detection of pesticide residues in grapes and wines: thiabendazole detection in wine
NCSR ‘Demokritos’, Greece
Coordination – Optoelectronic Sensor Chip
Design & Fabrication -Immnoassay Protocols &
Surface Functionalization
VTT Technical Research Center of Finland
Chip Design & Fabrication –Reader Electronics
TRUSTFOOD, The Netherlands
Smartphone Application – Dissemination &
Exploitation Activities
Jobst Technologies GmbH, Germany
Microfluidics & Filtration Modules
LioniX BV, The Netherlands
Optoelectronic Chip Evaluation
RIKILT, The Netherlands
Allergens and Mycotoxins Expert – Sample
Extraction Protocols
EUROFINS, France
System Evaluation & Correlation to Established
Methods
University of Almeria, Spain
Sample Extraction – Validation Methods –
Quality Control
Jagiellonian University, Poland
Sensor surface characterization
ThetaMetrisis SA, Greece
System Integration & Reader Development
1.2
2nd Ab
1.0
(Sx/S0)%
Radiands
0.8
0.6
assay
buffer
0.4
1st Ab
0.2
0.0
0
40
80
120
Time (sec x 10)
160
200
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Detection limit achieved: 1.5 ng/mL
in wine (30-times dilution with assay
buffer)
Maximum allowable concentration
for grapes and wines: 50 ng/g
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Thiabendazole concentration (ng/mL)
For further information please contact:
Ioannis Raptis
INN, NCSR ‘Demokritos’
End Patriarchou Gregoriou Str.
153 43 Aghia Paraskevi, Greece
E-mail: raptis@imel.demokritos.gr
Tel: +30-210-6503265