Optical sensor for food safety

An optical sensor to check the quality and safety of liquid foodstuffs. This is the project called h-Alo, developed by the Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials (Ismn) of the National Research Council (CNR) and Warrant Hub (Tinexta Group). The project, which takes the form of a portable system, uses 'fluorescence and surface plasmon resonance' and makes it possible to detect, directly at the production sites, the possible presence of pesticides, heavy metals and microbes in liquid foodstuffs from short production chains such as honey, raw milk and beer.

The system created by the h-Alo researchers (it was financed by European sources with a budget of over EUR 4.2 million and among the various Italian partners are Confagricoltura and The Circle Società Agricola Srl), as the experts point out, 'is easy to use, can also be used by non-specialised personnel, and guarantees accurate and reliable results for various types of liquid substances'. Not only that, it also includes technologies developed to facilitate field testing, an integrated fluorescent detection chip, and the ability to simultaneously detect different types of pesticides.

"The results obtained are the fruit of the valuable collaboration between the scientific excellence present in the project, the industrial partners, the quality control associations of the agrifood chain, the farmers' associations, and the producers themselves," emphasises Isella Vicini, Director of the European Funding Development Service Line of Warrant Hub. "The involvement of the entire value-chain was an added value that Warrant Hub helped to build thanks to the careful initial definition of the consortium and its work as head of scientific dissemination and support to the Coordinator. The conclusion of the h-Alo project represents a new beginning for us: the start of new paths of collaboration for the drafting of as many research and innovation projects that we hope will have the same technical-scientific results and the same impact on society as envisaged for h-Alo'.

The team also developed a software platform that manages data in the cloud, enabling targeted corrective actions to reduce food waste and improve production yields. The software includes a database of regulatory limits and management tips, offering companies tools to make decisions in compliance with the law in case of unfavourable results, supporting operators and certification managers throughout the supply chain.