BIOFOS aims at the development of a portable biosensor system for on‐site quality control against contaminants in milk, olive oil and nut samples. The 6 contaminants that will be targeted as analytesat the 3 selected food categories in BIOFOS are: Aflatoxin M1 and Penicillin (in milk), insecticide (Phosmet) and copper (in olive oil) and Ochratoxin and Aflatoxin B1 (in nuts). Along with the 6 contaminants, BIOFOS will also target at the quantitative detection of lactose, which is a natural ingredient of milk.
BIOFOS’s specific S&T objectives are:
OBJECTIVE 1:
Develop monolithic photonic circuits for label‐free, high‐throughput optical biosensing at 850 nm based on 1:12 MMI couplers and 12‐fold MRR arrays for operation.
OBJECTIVE 2:
Hybrid integration of actives elements (VCSEL and photodiode arrays) on TriPleX boards using flip‐chip bonding and butt‐coupling techniques.
OBJECTIVE 3:
Design and production of aptamers for highly‐selective detection of food contaminants (aflatoxin M1, penicillin antibiotic, phosmet insecticide, copper (Cu+2), ochratoxin and aflatoxin B1).
OBJECTIVE 4:
Development of effective techniques for functionalization of sensor substrates and immobilization of biomediators (aptamers).
OBJECTIVE 5:
Development of robust techniques for regeneration of biomediators (aptamers) and reusability of sensor arrays.
OBJECTIVE 6:
Development of microfluidics for solid and liquid phase treatment.
OBJECTIVE 7:
System integration in a cost‐effective, reusable LoC system and system validation in real settings.