Bio7000 by BIOLAN
Sulphites are antioxidant agents widely used for extending food product´s shelf life or to maintain the colour in a wide variety of foods, such as nuts, meat or shrimp. However, sulphites are registered as allergens by the main international food safety regulatory bodies due to their potential adverse health effects. Thus, there is a limit of maximum concentration of sulphites in shrimp meat, which is regulated and must be controlled by food processing industries.
In the shrimp farming sector, adding sulphites to crustaceans is a common practice to prevent a post-mortem browning that naturally occurs. Shrimp farmers use this antioxidant during harvesting to inhibit the described enzymatic process. The main compound used by the farmers is sodium metabilsulphite.
BIOLAN has developed a portable biosensor called BIO 7000. This new sensor measures the concentration of sulphite in the water where crustaceans are treated. Through the AquaVitae project BIOLAN, a company set in the North of Spain, is optimising the biosensor by applying System-on-Chip electronics and IoT technologies with the aim of developing an eco-designed and digitalised biosensor with cloud connection.
The device is easy to use and to transport. It can measure the sulphite concentration in less than a minute, which allows for the correct quantity of metabisulphite to be added in the shrimp harvesting bins.
BIOLAN has already developed the first prototype platform and an app. The biosensor will allow the shrimp industry to record information on sulphite levels to improve traceability throughout the supply chain. In addition, the BIO 7000 makes possible to share information with decision-makers and ensure secure data storage.
