Quantification of antibiotic residues and nitrites in meat using paper-based microfluidic devices

Meat contamination is a severe public health risk and therefore the development of highly precise, rapid, and reliable monitoring devices are necessary. Chemical hazards in meat such as the presence of nitrites and antibiotic residues have potentially carcinogenic, toxic, and/or allergenic effects when exceeding threshold limits set by governing health agencies. Conventional methods to monitor meat contaminants are often laborious and require highly skilled personnel, making the quest for developing simpler and more cost-effective techniques for rapid monitoring to be critical. This research project focuses on developing a paper-based colorimetric microfluidic device that is capable of quantifying trace level of nitrite and antibiotic residues in meat with high specificity and reproducibility. Determination of the presence of nitrite and antibiotic residues in meat will be based upon a chromogenic reaction between these chemical hazards and chromogenic reagents on wax-printed filter paper. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Xiaonan Lu

Student:

Partner:

Peking University

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: