The global supply network that distributes beef to markets is extremely intricate and typically very effective. But meat deterioration becomes a very serious issue for food producers, vendors, and consumers when delays in one region of the world can cause transit delays across an ocean and a continent. This is especially true if the protocols for food inspection are lax. A team of Concordia researchers developed a novel, low-cost, accurate, and user-friendly system that detects the presence of the toxin putrescine in cattle in order to increase food safety. Putrescine, as its name implies, causes the foul smell of putrefying meats, and if taken in large amounts, it can cause
Large doses may result in heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Additionally, it has been related to an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
In the journal Applied Biomaterials, the researchers describe how they created the paper-based synthetic biosensor using a protein from nature.
Making a quick, simple-to-use biosensor is empowering, according to lead author Alaa Selim, a 22-year-old MSc student pursuing a PhD at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization. We aimed to create a gadget that was simple to use, disposable, and free of harmful components.
Along with Steve Shih, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, her co-authors include James Perry, Mohamed Nasr, and Jay Pimprikar, all former PhD students at the Shih Microfluidics Lab.
Results get better with time
Cell-free protein synthesis, which creates a protein utilizing a cell’s biological machinery without actually needing a real cell, is the basis for the sensor’s manufacturing process. The putrescine repressor protein PuuR, which is present in E. coli bacteria, was discovered by the researchers to be a putrescine indicator.
To check if the researchers could visually detect the presence of putrescine under UV light, putrescine was added to the cell-free system that was producing the repressor in a solution and placed on a paper device. The biosensor was able to detect the presence of putrescine after an hour, and after four hours, the researchers were convinced that their results were quite accurate.
After that, they tested actual flesh samples. To determine how much putrescine accumulated over a period of many days, little beef slivers were compared to those maintained in the freezer, the refrigerator, and at ambient temperature. The samples stored in the freezer and refrigerator had, as expected, very low putrescine levels, whereas the sample kept at room temperature had fairly high levels, which would be enough to make anyone who consumed it ill. They discovered some correlation between their biosensor’s results and those of a sophisticated chromatography used for food inspection.
an essential technology
The biosensor won’t be readily available in a fully working, commercial form anytime soon, but the researchers are hopeful about its possibilities.
“We believe our work represents a first step toward using sensors in the meat preparation business,” says Shih, the Concordia University Research Chair in Microfluidics for Biological and Chemical Analysis. We also think that this kind of sensing can be applied to other areas, such as environmental sampling for heavy metal contamination and cancer and disease diagnostics.
According to Selim, a customer’s health and the health of their family are the most crucial factors. “I want everyone to be able to utilize this, regardless of their background in technology, whether they are college students, working moms, or individuals in the restaurant business.”
