ALLERGY AMULET — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.5

Description

PROJECT SUMMARYTitle: A rapid field-portable sensor for detecting histamine in food.PD: Mendecki LukaszInstitution: Allergy Amulet Inc.Scombrotoxin poisoning is a leading foodborne illness caused by the consumption of spoiledfish and fishery products containing high concentrations of histamine. Histamine is thereforean indicator of freshness and microbiological quality of many perishable foods. Despitesignificant advancements in detection tools improved consumer education on food safety andincreasing regulatory pressure histamine testing in the food industry has been curtailed by thehigh testing costs long detection times and limited portability of existing commercialtechnologies.The goal of this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) proposal is to develop a rapidpoint-of-use and low-cost electrochemical sensor for detecting histamine in fish and fisheryproducts. We will establish the feasibility of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) to sensehistamine at regulatory-prescribed concentrations (50 parts-per-million) within 180 seconds infoods. MIPs provide a means of selecting specific molecules from complex samples by sizeshape and electrostatic properties serving as recognition elements akin to syntheticantibodies. To meet these project goals we will optimize fabrication approaches for makingbiomimetic sensors with tunable and controllable sensing characteristics and test the sensorsagainst a diverse array of fish and fishery products to confirm their efficacies as histaminedetectors.The outcome of this work will address long-standing analytical challenges in achieving rapidcost-effective and portable methods for direct detection of histamine in fish and fisheryproducts with the same or superior precision as conventional laboratory technologies. Thisdevice would greatly benefit the food industry and consumers by increasing supply chaintransparency and food quality and safety.1