Flinders University (Australia) researchers have invented a revolutionary method to test for food poisoning in fish. Using a credit card-sized device
called a microfluidic chip, the researchers have developed a way to test
for histamine, a potentially toxic compound, without the need to use
complex chemical additives to the fish.
Histamine is a naturally occurring
organic compound found in a range of products, including fish and red
wine. A known allergen, histamine concentrations can increase when food
spoils, leading to potentially fatal food poisoning.
Resembling a credit card, the
purpose-built microfluidic chip is fitted with electrodes that detect
histamine levels as the sample passes through a tiny pipe in the plastic
device.
“We extract different compounds from
the fish in liquid form, and these compounds will pass through the
device at different rates,” said Associate Professor Claire Lenehan, a
lecturer in forensic and analytical chemistry.
“We can tell what compounds are
histamine, and how much histamine is contained in the sample, based on
the rate at which the compounds pass through the device,” she said.
Associate Professor Lenehan, who built
the chip with Flinders PhD candidate Leigh Thredgold, said the method
is a much more efficient and cost-effective way to test for potentially
toxic histamine levels in fish.
“At the moment the extraction of
compounds takes longer than the actual analysis because you have to
pulverise the fish, add a chemical to turn it into a different chemical
and then test it,” she said.
“It’s an indirect testing method
because you’re not actually detecting histamine at all; you’re detecting
a product of histamine.
“Our method is a much simpler way
because all you do is extract the sample and pipette it into the device
without having to chemically treat it first.”
In addition to preventing food
poisoning, Associate Professor Lenehan said the device could be used by
consumers who are allergic to histamine.
“For the seafood industry, our method
is a simple, cost-effective and rapid way to monitor food quality and
reduce the incidence of food poisoning.
“It could also be marketed to
consumers who have histamine sensitivity because they can use the device
to test a product before they consume it.”
The research has just been published in the international journal Analytical Methods.
- See more at:
http://blogs.flinders.edu.au/flinders-news/2015/02/27/flinders-develops-quick-test-for-fish-toxin/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=flinders-develops-quick-test-for-fish-toxin#sthash.dFEXkD19.dpuf