Development of Multi-Array Biosensors and Bio-chips for Food Security Analysis

GC001-14SBS: Development of Multi-Array Biosensors and Bio-chips for Food Security Analysis

Abstract:

Food forgery is one of the most concerning and most articulated socio-economic issues having great impact on public health, religious rituals, food choices, hard earned fortunes, fair trades and customer satisfaction and personal budget. The recent horse meat scandal in Europe, rat meat scandal in China and Porcine DNA scandal in Cadbury Chocolate in Malaysia have given scientist, researchers, consumers, manufactures and controllers a brain storming apprehension on how to detect, what to detect and when to detect the meat ingredients both in processed and unprocessed food and food ingredients. Food borne zoonotic threats such as avian influenza (H5N1) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) (mad cow disease) are long term concern for human civilization. Researchers believe that the most fatal infections disease, HIV/AIDS, has come to human race from African chimpanzee meat infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus. Chemical hazards in food involving heavy metals, dioxins, toxins and polychlorinated biphenyls have long lasting implications in public health, memory loss, carcinogenesis and numerous others complications. Thus, the analysis of multi/all components target in a single assay platform is a long term desire and technological challenge in food industry, forensic studies, and bio-diagnostics.

Research Objectives:

1. To develop and characterize short length oligonucleotide (DNA and miRNA biomarker with adequate fingerprints for common meat, fish, amphibian, reptiles, plant species and pathogens for biosensors and microarray application.

2. To synthesis functionalize nanomaterials (nanoparticle, quantum dots, graphene and carbon nanotubes with Raman and biomolecular fingerprints for biosensor and microarray integration.

3. Biosensor and Microarray Assembly- Nano-Bio-Spectro Fusion for device fabrication and Enhanced Signal Detection for reliable detection of multicomponent targets.

4. Market Need Assessment and Technology Commercialization of Biochip product for food security detection.

5. Islamic Shariah issues in halal food authentication technologies to reduce conflicts and increase technological acceptability to the religious groups.

Methodology:

1. Short-length DNA and miRNA biomarkers are highly table and thus are suitable for forensic, archaeological and food analysis.

2. Surface chemistry of nanomaterials determines its final and versatile application in various fields. Tailoring and decoration of their surface with Raman and desired biomolecular fingerprints are really challenging in practice.

3. The biosensor and microarray platform surfaces will be modified with CNT, Graphene, Quantum dots and nanoparticles to make them suitable for biomolecular immobilization and target detection.

4. Assessment of technology strength, weakness and opportunities is a fundamental step in technology commercialization. Social, economics and environment indicators would be critical assed to find out the feasibility of technology commercialization.

5. Identify religious issues to reduce conflicts between religious sentiments and scientific truth by determine shariah issues and consumer perceptions and develop and propose a guideline of an application of halal authentication technology based on shariah Islamic principle.