<p>Allergic to peanuts? A new device can spot if there are any in your cookie!Researchers have developed a lightweight device that connects to your cell phone and detects allergens in food samples.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Beyond a simple “yes” or “no” answer as to whether allergens are present, the device can also quantify how much of an allergen is in a sample, in parts per million.<br /><br />A team from the University of California, Los Angeles Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science developed the device called the iTube.<br /><br />The iTube attachment uses the cell phone’s built-in camera, along with an accompanying smart-phone application that runs a test with the same high level of sensitivity a laboratory would.<br /><br />Although several products that detect allergens in foods are currently available, they are complex and require bulky equipment, making them ill-suited for use in public settings, according to the UCLA researchers.<br /><br />The iTube was developed to address these issues, said Aydogan Ozcan, leader of the research team.<br /><br />Weighing less than 56 grammes, the attachment analyses a test tube-based allergen-concentration test known as a colorimetric assay.<br /><br />To test for allergens, food samples are initially ground up and mixed in a test tube with hot water and an extraction solvent; this mixture is allowed to set for several minutes.<br />Then, following a step-by-step procedure, the prepared sample is mixed with a series of other reactive testing liquids.<br /><br />The entire preparation takes roughly 20 minutes. When the sample is ready, it is measured optically for allergen concentration through the iTube platform, using the cell phone’s camera and a smart application running on the phone.<br /><br />The kit digitally converts raw images from the cell-phone camera into concentration measurements detected in the food samples.<br /><br />The iTube platform can test for a variety of allergens, including peanuts, almonds, eggs, gluten and hazelnuts, Ozcan said in a statements.<br /><br />The UCLA team successfully tested the iTube using commercially available cookies, analysing the samples to determine if they had any harmful amount of peanuts, a potential allergen. <br /><br />“We envision that this cell phone-based allergen testing platform could be very valuable, especially for parents, as well as for schools, restaurants and other public settings,” Ozcan said.<br /><br />The research will be published in the journal Lab on a Chip.</p>
<p>Allergic to peanuts? A new device can spot if there are any in your cookie!Researchers have developed a lightweight device that connects to your cell phone and detects allergens in food samples.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Beyond a simple “yes” or “no” answer as to whether allergens are present, the device can also quantify how much of an allergen is in a sample, in parts per million.<br /><br />A team from the University of California, Los Angeles Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science developed the device called the iTube.<br /><br />The iTube attachment uses the cell phone’s built-in camera, along with an accompanying smart-phone application that runs a test with the same high level of sensitivity a laboratory would.<br /><br />Although several products that detect allergens in foods are currently available, they are complex and require bulky equipment, making them ill-suited for use in public settings, according to the UCLA researchers.<br /><br />The iTube was developed to address these issues, said Aydogan Ozcan, leader of the research team.<br /><br />Weighing less than 56 grammes, the attachment analyses a test tube-based allergen-concentration test known as a colorimetric assay.<br /><br />To test for allergens, food samples are initially ground up and mixed in a test tube with hot water and an extraction solvent; this mixture is allowed to set for several minutes.<br />Then, following a step-by-step procedure, the prepared sample is mixed with a series of other reactive testing liquids.<br /><br />The entire preparation takes roughly 20 minutes. When the sample is ready, it is measured optically for allergen concentration through the iTube platform, using the cell phone’s camera and a smart application running on the phone.<br /><br />The kit digitally converts raw images from the cell-phone camera into concentration measurements detected in the food samples.<br /><br />The iTube platform can test for a variety of allergens, including peanuts, almonds, eggs, gluten and hazelnuts, Ozcan said in a statements.<br /><br />The UCLA team successfully tested the iTube using commercially available cookies, analysing the samples to determine if they had any harmful amount of peanuts, a potential allergen. <br /><br />“We envision that this cell phone-based allergen testing platform could be very valuable, especially for parents, as well as for schools, restaurants and other public settings,” Ozcan said.<br /><br />The research will be published in the journal Lab on a Chip.</p>