One of the consequences of the increasing pollution of the Earth on the human body is the rise of allergies in the new generations. A phenomenon that requires serious attention among younger with food allergies and is now part of the solution with a device connected to a smartphone. Despite laws regarding the display of food composition on packaging, it is not uncommon that some allergens slip in revenue without the buyer have consciousness. It is precisely to avoid bad experiences researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles have developed a device called iTube to transform a smartphone sensor allergen.
The iTube is capable of detecting the presence of a large list of allergens with an accuracy worthy of a laboratory analysis. Nevertheless, the analysis reveals quite complex and requires more than twenty minutes of sample preparation prior to rendering its verdict. Allergen detection is performed by colorimetric analysis, a technique which chemically colored allergens in a solution and then analyzing the concentration of color. To analyze food, just take a sample and mix it with hot water and a solvent. After a few minutes, the sample must be mixed with a variety of reactive chemical, then the test tube containing the sample prepared may be placed in the device.
LED illuminates when the liquid is the smartphone's camera and the dedicated application that compares the sample with a database and gives the concentration of allergens in parts per million. If the idea is laudable, it is difficult to conceive of a systematic use of the iTube at every meal. However, the system could, through the application to store information and to compile statistics, recrosses of data with various users in a range of foods most commonly offered in supermarkets.
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