GUWAHATI: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers have developed a paper-based sensor that can make an assessment of the freshness of milk. The quality and freshness of milk are decided by the invasion and presence of microbes in the milk.
According to a report by India Today, the researchers have used simple filter paper, chemically modified it, and loaded it with a recognition element anti-ALP, which captures the ALP present in the milk.
A research team led by Dr Pranjal Chandra, Assistant Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati along with Kuldeep Mahato, research scholar, developed a simple visual detection technique to detect the quality of milk, without the need for special equipment and instruments.
The researchers have used simple filter paper, chemically modified it, and loaded it with a recognition element anti- Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), which captures the ALP present in the milk.
ALP is a metalloprotein found naturally in raw milk samples and is considered an important biomarker in quality control of milk.
The researchers successfully tested milk obtained from villages and commercially available milk samples using their paper-based sensor kit and found that they could detect down to 0.87 units of ALP per millilitre of milk to about 91100 percent accuracy.
This detection limit and accuracy makes it possible to discriminate raw milk from pasteurized/boiled milk which contains ALP in ultra-trace amount.
