Thursday, November 5, 2009
Scientists in Canada are reporting the
development of a fast, inexpensive "dipstick" test to identify small
amounts of pesticides that may exist in foods and beverages. Their paper-strip
test is more practical than conventional pesticide tests, producing results in
minutes rather than hours by means of an easy-to-read color-change, they say.
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An experimental test strip shows a visible color change indicating the presence of pesticides in a test sample. In the future, similar strips may help detect these hidden toxins in foods and beverages. Credit: The American Chemical Society
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The study is in the November 1 issue of ACS' Analytical
Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal. John Brennan and colleagues note in the new
study that conventional tests for detecting pesticides tend to use expensive
and complex equipment and in some cases can take several hours to produce
results. They cite a growing need for cheaper, more convenient, and more
eco-friendly tests for pesticides, particularly in the food industry.
The scientists describe the development of a new paper-based
test strip that changes color shades depending on the amount of pesticide
present. In laboratory studies using food and beverage samples intentionally
contaminated with common pesticides, the test strips accurately identified
minute amounts of pesticides. The test strips, which produced results in less
than 5 minutes, could be particularly useful in developing countries or remote
areas that may lack access to expensive testing equipment and electricity, they
note.
Study: "Reagentless Bidirectional Lateral Flow
Bioactive Paper Sensors for Detection of Pesticides in Beverage and Food
Samples"
Full
article available here
SOURCE: American Chemical
Society