A mobile analytical device for on-site quantitation of anthocyanins in fruit beverages

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This NSERC Engage Grant application will initiate a short-term collaborative project between Dr. Yu's**research team at Simon Fraser University and a local manufacturing company, Laca Biotech Inc. to develop a**mobile analytical device for the on-site colorimetric quantitation of anthocyanins in fruit beverages.**Anthocyanins are water-soluble red, purple, and blue plant pigments found mostly in fruits and flowers; their**reported antioxidant activities are associated with health claims such as increased longevity, improved**cardiovascular function, and prevention of cancer/dementia. The proposed mobile analytical device will enable**small-scale producers and wineries to perform reliable assessment of the quality of both raw materials and final**products, and to evaluate manufacturing practices. As existing techniques typically require advanced**instrumentation, intensive sample preparation, and employment of trained personnel, the on-demand portable**device will offer immense advantages in terms of low cost of fabrication, rapid detection, and adaptation of**consumer electronics (smartphone/pad/scanner).**Particularly, the research will focus on the design and testing of a bench-top microchip, which will employ the**pH-differential method established by the Association of Analytical Communities in 2005. The new device will**be validated against the established spectrophotometric protocol and other laboratory techniques such as liquid**chromatography and electrophoresis for anthocyanin quantitation in both standards and beverage samples.**Successful completion of this project will develop ties and foster relationship between SFU and Laca Biotech**Inc., and lead to expanded collaborations in applied analytical chemistry for quality control in food and**beverage industries locally and nationally. The execution of this project will also provide great R&D training**opportunities for graduate students at SFU and research technicians from local industry.