Researchers report quantum-limit-approaching chemical sensing chip

Study shows improvements to chemical sensing chip that aims to quickly and accurately identify drugs and other trace chemicals

13-Jan-2021 - University at Buffalo researchers are reporting an advancement of a chemical sensing chip that could lead to handheld devices that detect trace chemicals -- everything from illicit drugs to pollution -- as quickly as a breathalyzer identifies alcohol. The chip, which also may have uses in food ...

Wine Fraud: Chemical Fingerprint Uncorks Juicy Facts

30-Jan-2019 - Numerous components of 42 different wines have been analysed using state-of-the-art equipment for the first time. The data generated will provide an extremely accurate basis for definitively characterising different wine varieties, as well as an innovative approach for routine wine analysis. The ...

Cracking eggshell nanostructure

01-Apr-2018 - How is it that fertilized chicken eggs manage to resist fracture from the outside, while at the same time, are weak enough to break from the inside during chick hatching? It's all in the eggshell's nanostructure, according to a new study led by McGill University scientists. The findings could ...

New sensors could enable more affordable detection of pollution and diseases

23-Jun-2017 - When it comes to testing for cancer, environmental pollution and food contaminants, traditional sensors can help. The challenges are that they often are bulky, expensive, non-intuitive and complicated. Now, one team reports in ACS Sensors that portable pressure-based detectors coupled with ...

Fluorescence method detects mercury contamination in fish

24-Feb-2017 - Researchers from the University of Burgos (Spain) have developed a fluorescent polymer that lights up in contact with mercury that may be present in fish. High levels of the metal were detected in samples of swordfish and tuna. According to the conclusions of another Spanish study, mercury ...

Old and new challenges for food safety

15-Nov-2016 - The occurrence of zoonotic pathogens and toxigenic bacteria in the food chain and the associated risk for humans were the focus of the "4th Symposium for Zoonoses and Food Safety" at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin. Around 250 participants were discussing strategies to ...

Mercury in fish affected by both prey type and quality

10-May-2016 - Whether fish hunt nearshore or in the open water and what prey they eat affect the amount of mercury that accumulates in them, a Dartmouth College study shows. Mercury accumulation in fish poses well-known health risks to humans and wildlife, but fish mercury levels are highly variable and key ...

BMBF Project “Polytos2: Printed Organic Circuits and Memory” successfully completed

04-Sep-2014 - After two years of intense collaboration with nine other consortium partners Merck, the consortium leader, has successfully completed the Polytos2 project funded with a sum of EUR 4.8 million by the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF). Within the scope of this project, Merck ...

Fraunhofer to become a new BfR research partner

12-May-2014 - The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. are to sign a cooperation contract today in which they agree on close cooperation in research for the purpose of improving food safety in all stages of the supply chain. The ...

A faster way to flag bacteria-tainted food — and prevent illness

21-Feb-2014 - The regular appearance of food poisoning in the news, including a recent event that led to the recall of more than 33,000 pounds of chicken, drives home the need for better bacterial detection long before meats and produce make it to the dinner table. On the horizon is a new approach for pathogen ...