We have developed conjugated polymer-metal ensembles and small molecule boronates as elements in multi-component sensor arrays for the identification of biogenic and volatile amines towards the qualitative assessment of food freshness.  The assays detect biogenic amine by-products formed when foods have been contaminated with bacteria.  These approaches use the full spectral response from an array of sensors to create a fingerprint pattern that is indicative of the analyte or mixture of analytes present.  Statistical analysis is used to reduce noise and maximize the assay resolution.  These analyses have shown exceptional accuracy, identifying 22 structurally similar biogenic amines with 97% accuracy and 12 volatile amines with >99% accuracy.  Progress towards the development of a disposable 'dipstick' to assess the quality of foods based on the naked-eye detection of biogenic amines, formed by either bacterial or thermal spoilage, will also be discussed.

Biogenic amine sensor arrays to detect bacterial contamination and food freshness

244th National Meeting (2012)

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