As one of the primary nutrition sources for humans, milk is a major agricultural product in many countries. Fat content is an important factor to evaluate milk quality, but current characterization techniques either involve complicated procedures or require expensive instrumentation.
Young-Tae Chang, National University of Singapore, and colleagues have identified a turn-on fluorescent sensor for rapid and sensitive milk fat measurements through a hyper throughput screening from 10,000 candidates. This BODIPY dye exhibits enhanced emission with increased fat content in milk samples, as a result of disassembly of aggregates that quench fluorescence.
The researchers have incorporated the sensing material into a fiber-optic-based detection system, enabling facile and convenient quantification of fat content in samples ranging from fresh milk to skim milk (0.1 to 4.2 % fat content). They believe this new system can significantly streamline existing milk quality control process.
Article Views: 3009
Please note that to comment on an article you must be registered and logged in.
Registration is for free, you may already be registered to receive, e.g., the newsletter. When you register on this website, please ensure you view our terms and conditions. All comments are subject to moderation.