Kombispec- a microfluidics-based system for the fast on-site analytics in food production

The prevention of toxic pathogens such as mycotoxins is a constant challenge in food production. We present a microfluidics-enabled system for the identification of pathogens in grain dust, thereby allowing for the detection of such pathogen already in the early raw material stage prior further processing. In order to be utilized in such environment, the system has to be compact and rugged. This is realized by miniaturizing both the analytical workflow (competitive fluorescence immunoassay) using a fully integrated microfluidic cartridge as well as the instrument to operate the cartridge. We have been able to show similar performance of microfluidic chip-based assays compared to standard ELISA plates.