MELBOURNE, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in Australia have developed the first microneedle-based biosensor capable of monitoring fish freshness in real time, potentially transforming food safety testing across supply chains.
The electrochemical "microneedle array" (MNA) based biosensor tracks levels of hypoxanthine, a compound that rises as fish spoils, directly from fish tissue without complex lab preparation, a media release of Australia's Monash University said Thursday.
The new device, co-designed by the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), enables quick, on-site readings by pressing the microneedle array onto fish meat, according to the study led by Monash University and Deakin University in Australia, published in ACS Sensors.
"Food, especially fish meat, is extremely vulnerable to oxidation and microbiological deterioration," said study first author and MIPS PhD candidate Masoud Khazaei.
Researchers said the system matched the accuracy of a commercial assay, highlighting the biosensor's effectiveness in delivering accurate, early-stage detection that traditional methods can easily miss.
"Freshness isn't something we can guess; it's something we have to measure. Rapid, time-sensitive HX testing is essential because hypoxanthine levels rise well before fish looks or smells 'off,'" said MIPS Research Fellow and project lead Azadeh Nilghaz. ■