Microfluidic biosensors for detecting antibiotics in milk

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Norwell Dairy Systems is a company specializing in development and sale of products and solutions for the**dairy industry. In particular, they focus on milking technologies, milk coolers (with advanced temperature**monitoring), and optimization of milking processes. Their products and services can be found throughout**Ontario. Since milking is a complex process, involving a careful regiment of specific processing conditions,**accurate real-time monitoring is essential. Norwell Dairy Systems has had success in monitoring and**maintaining physical conditions of milk, e.g., temperature, however, they require further development to apply**their technologies in monitoring chemical conditions of milk, e.g., presence and amount of antibiotics.**Currently available technologies rely on cumbersome chemical processing units and time-intensive reagent**labelling. Real-time monitoring of the chemical conditions of milk is desired by current and potential**customers of Norwell Dairy Systems. In particular, it is desired to detect the presence and quantity of**antibiotics, as shipping milk containing such contaminants can result in severe economic/licensure losses for**dairy farmers. To solve this problem, Norwell Dairy Systems and the Collier Research Group are partnering to**develop innovative biosensors for milk chemical analyses. The innovative techniques to be developed include**microfluidic actuation, for separation of antibiotic materials, and ultraviolet spectroscopy, for detection and**quantification of antibiotics. These developments will be applied in the Norwell Dairy Systems product line to**greatly expand their customer base.