Development of a Low-cost Colorimetric Measurement Device for Food Component Analysis and Determination of its Performance: A Model Study for Glucose and Protein Assays

Reliable determination of food components and contaminants is a crucial necessity for a modern society. Moreover, Current food industry demands in-situ and rapid methods with low analysis and investment costs. In this study, a portable and low-cost LED-based optoelectronic device was developed as an alternative to conventional spectrophotometric methods. The performance of a LED-based device was determined by performing two common colorimetric assays as a model, namely glucose and protein. These two colorimetric assays were performed simultaneously with a conventional spectrophotometer, and the analytical performance of a LED-based device was determined. Limit of detection (LOD) values of the LED-based analysis were 1.25 mM for glucose and 0.084 mg/mL for protein determinations. LOD values of a conventional spectrophotometer were 0.70 mM glucose and 0.101 mg/mL protein. As a result, this low-cost optoelectronic device has a potential as a competitive and promising alternative to conventional spectrophotometers, and performance analysis on model assays indicates that it can be also used for assays other than glucose and protein