Researchers develop reusable, paper-based lycopene sensors

• A team of researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, has developed a nano-biosensor for detecting ‘lycopene’.
  
  

About the Discovery:

• The researchers from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, have developed a nano-biosensor for detecting ‘lycopene’.
• The biosensor (transparent strip) offers minimal scattering with maximum sensitivity in comparison to previous paper strips.
• The sensor uses a portable smartphone-based upconverting reusable fluorescent paper strip.
• A simple smartphone camera can be used for detection.
• The reusable, paper-based strip may help make the lycopene detection process easy, cheap, and less time-consuming.
• The study has been published by the American Chemical Society.

Issues with present analytical methods:

• A commercial sensor is used for determining the percentage. The process is expensive and time-consuming.

Upconversion Nanoparticles (UCNP):

• Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are nanoscale particles (diameter 1–100 nm) that exhibit photon upconversion.
• Upconversion is a process where light can be emitted with photon energies higher than the light generating the excitation.
• In photon upconversion, two or more incident photons of relatively low energy are absorbed and converted into one emitted photon with higher energy.
• This transparent Upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) strip is sensitive to lycopene with a detection limit as low as 10 nM.

How does it work?

• An increase in strip hydrophobicity during the fabrication process complements the strip to selectively permeate and present an extraction-free substitute analysis for chromatography.
• Hydrophobicity endows the strip with the capability to reuse the strip with approximately 100 percent luminescence recovery.

What is lycopene?

• Lycopene is a type of organic pigment called a carotenoid.
• It is synthesized by plants and microorganisms but cannot be synthesized by the human body and can only be obtained via diet.
• It gives some vegetables and fruits (e.g., tomatoes) a red color.
• Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that might help protect cells from damage. It's found in tomato, watermelon, red-orange, pink grapefruit, apricot, papaya, and guava.
• It is a potent antioxidant that helps prevent cancer and heart disease.
• It may interfere with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Cancer patients are therefore suggested to use lycopene supplements with caution.

Effect of degradation of Lycopene on Tomato:

• The undesirable Biodegradation of lycopene not only affects the attractive color of the final products but also their nutritive value.
• The main cause of lycopene degradation in tomato dehydration is isomerization and oxidation.
• As a result, the quality of the produce is rated based on the lycopene present in it and is priced accordingly.

Methods to determine lycopene in food or biological samples:

• UV-Visible spectrophotometry
• Liquid chromatography
• Reverse-phase liquid chromatography
• Supercritical fluid chromatography
• Matrix-assisted desorption ionization