Under a special initiative for food safety organized by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology in the 10th Five-year period, a project to develop a handy fluorescent probe for measuring pesticides residues has seen major progresses.
Based on careful examination of operational parameters and repeated optimizations of data handling techniques, researchers developed an enzyme-inhibiting oriented fluorescent probe able to tell organic phosphor and carbamate residues. The system has a range of merits, including simplified operation, strong resistance to interference, a testing limit lower than 0.005mg/kg (Furadan as benchmark), and reliable repetition. Catering for both ac and dc power sources, and with a menu reminding function and a weight of 5 kg, the system can directly test organic phosphor and carbamate residues in vegetables and fruit juices, and produce a result within 15 minutes.
To further test its usability, researchers have used the prototype system to test some 20 types of vegetables and fruits available in the market. In the meantime, they compared the derived data with national standards, and concluded with fine results. The project also came up with two national patent applications. |
