Grant: Alliance Grants

The team intends to develop a Raman-based detection method made of an antigen attached to carbon nanohorns in which a dye molecule is encapsulated and acts as a label. It will be used as a method for allergens detection in food matrices that is faster, more robust, more sensitive, and cheaper than the actual immuno-enzymatic assay technology. The aim is to propose a device for the industry that ultimately protects consumers by providing technological leverage for government agencies to put forward new food policies and regulations that are financially affordable to the food industry. The outcome of this project is to lift the main technological barrier that prevents improvements over the actual precautionary labelling ("may contain") of mandatory noticeable substances in food. The project brings together a team from three universities (Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Montréal, and Université Laval), two government agencies (Canada Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada Food Directorate and two non-profit consumer organizations (Food Allergy Canada and Coeliaque Québec. The team will train a team of 11 graduate students and fellows to accomplish this multi-disciplinary project. The team's work focuses first on identifying the biomarker parameters and lifting some of the challenges identified during the previous proof of concept (e.g., antigens crosstalk, food matrix interaction, fluorescence). In parallel, another team will optimize the Raman probe made of different dyes encapsulated in carbon nanohorns. We intend to develop detection algorithms capable of separating the signal coming from various probes. We will next design and assemble a working prototype of the Raman probe using a set of optomechanical components. The prototype will then be extensively tested for robustness and accuracy against references in the field. This validation step will be important because it will help the team evaluate its impact on the food industry. We will also evaluate the related impact of the risk incurred by the allergic population, should the technology be adopted and transferred to new policies.