Biosensor to Avoid Allergies
Tarragona - The University of Rovira i Virgili (Spain) and seven other European partners have recently joined the development of an biosensor within the EU project “CD-CHEF”. The sensor is able to detect gluten in food which triggers allergic reactions in humans.
The biosensor is located on a miniaturised disposable chip made of a polymeric material. The chip is designed for a modular kit which later controls sample processing, dosage and analysis. The electrochemi-cal detection of allergenic gluten relies on ampero-metrics. Two electrodes are employed: A micro-reference electrode with a solid electrolyte made of silver/silver chloride and a modified gold film. The gold film is coated with specific antibodies that specifically bind allergenic gluten. The bonding triggers an electrochemical reaction. With the current flow inherent in this reaction gluten can be quantitatively detected.
The analysis chip is designated for food control by manufacturers who want to declare their goods gluten-free. At the same time, the biochip will set an EU standard for the detection and extraction of gluten in food.
The project (QLKI-2002-02077) is EU funded by the “Quality of Life” programme.