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Micromachines
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Microfluidics for Food Science Applications
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Microfluidics for Food Science Applications

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "E：Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 17745

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kosmas Ellinas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of the Aegean, Metropolite Ioakeim 2, 81400 Myrina, Lemnos, Greece
Interests: functional and “smart” materials; applications of nanotechnology in food science; wetting control and superhydrophobicity and applications in food science; novel diagnostic tools for food safety and quality monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microfluidics started to be applied approximately 15 years ago, in applications ranging from bottom-up structure formation to high-throughput production, lab-on-a-chip chemical analysis and bioassays. In many applications the use of microfluidics reached a degree of precision and control never obtained before, making microfluidics a promising tool for both research and innovation. Microfluidics by definition exhibit several advantages such as high surface-to-volume ratio, small footprint, reduced analysis time and enhanced surface tension and capillary action, enabling the analysis and processing of complex samples, including complex food samples. There are also several examples based on microfluidics in food structure design using emulsion and foam stability studies, controlled delivery systems and many more. Thus, the use of microfluidics in food science is a topic of interest for several research groups worldwide. In view of these recent microfluidic advances in the food science community, we are putting together a Special Issue entitled “Microfluidics for Food Science Applications”, to be published in Micromachines (MDPI). Microfluidic fabrication methods, food-related applications of microfluidics (i.e., screening and quantification of nutrition values, food safety, etc.), advances in the design and simulation of lab-on-a-chip/microfluidic systems as well as lab-on-a-chip analysis approaches are welcome, as long as they bring advantages over comparable conventional methods. Finally, we aim to present the perspectives and challenges in the field; therefore, review papers are also welcome.

Dr. Kosmas Ellinas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food safety
  • microfluidics
  • microfluidics fabrication methods
  • digestion
  • bioaccessibility
  • lab-on-a-chip
  • biological analysis
  • microfluidics design and simulation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2278 KiB  
Article
Integrated Plastic Microfluidic Device for Heavy Metal Ion Detection
by Myrto Kyriaki Filippidou, Aris Ioannis Kanaris, Evangelos Aslanidis, Annita Rapesi, Dimitra Tsounidi, Sotirios Ntouskas, Evangelos Skotadis, George Tsekenis, Dimitris Tsoukalas, Angeliki Tserepi and Stavros Chatzandroulis
Micromachines 2023, 14(8), 1595; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14081595 - 13 Aug 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2627
Abstract
The presence of heavy metal ions in soil, air and water constitutes an important global environmental threat, as these ions accumulate throughout the food chain, contributing to the rise of chronic diseases, including, amongst others, cancer and kidney failure. To date, many efforts [...] Read more.
The presence of heavy metal ions in soil, air and water constitutes an important global environmental threat, as these ions accumulate throughout the food chain, contributing to the rise of chronic diseases, including, amongst others, cancer and kidney failure. To date, many efforts have been made for their detection, but there is still a need for the development of sensitive, low-cost, and portable devices able to conduct on-site detection of heavy metal ions. In this work, we combine microfluidic technology and electrochemical sensing in a plastic chip for the selective detection of heavy metal ions utilizing DNAzymes immobilized in between platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs), demonstrating a reliable portable solution for water pollution monitoring. For the realization of the microfluidic-based heavy metal ion detection device, a fast and easy-to-implement fabrication method based on the photolithography of dry photosensitive layers is proposed. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the detection of Pb2+ ions using the prototype microfluidic device. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Food Science Applications)
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16 pages, 6435 KiB  
Article
Study of Mechanical Response of Paper-Based Microfluidic System as a Potential Milk Tester
by Laura Alejandra Ireta-Muñoz, Isaías Cueva-Pérez, David Alejandro Elvira-Ortiz, Leonardo Esteban Moreno-Suárez and Ángel Pérez-Cruz
Micromachines 2023, 14(7), 1380; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14071380 - 6 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1692
Abstract
Milk is considered a complete meal that requires supervision to determine its suitability for human consumption. The development of sustainable devices that evaluate food properties has gained importance due to the necessity of integrating these instruments into the production chain. However, the materials [...] Read more.
Milk is considered a complete meal that requires supervision to determine its suitability for human consumption. The development of sustainable devices that evaluate food properties has gained importance due to the necessity of integrating these instruments into the production chain. However, the materials employed to develop it, such as polymers, semiconductors, and glass, lack sustainability and require specialized equipment to fabricate them. Different chemical techniques have been used to miniaturize these detection systems such as microfluidics, which have been used in milk component detection using colorimetry. In this work, a cantilever beam paper-based microfluidic system is proposed to evaluate differences in milk, according to nutritional information, using its electromechanical response. A 20-microliter milk drop is deposited in the system, which induces hygroexpansion and deflection due to liquid transport within the paper. Likewise, a conductive path is added on the beam top surface to supply a constant current that induces heat to evaporate the solution. According to the results obtained, it is possible to point out differences between trademarks with this microfluidic system. The novelty of this system relies on the paper electromechanical response that integrates the hygroexpansion-induced displacement, which can be used for further applications such as milk microtesters instead of colorimetric tests that use paper as a property-evaluation platform in combination with chemical reactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Food Science Applications)
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12 pages, 2390 KiB  
Article
Microfluidic Distillation System for Separation of Propionic Acid in Foods
by Song-Yu Lu, Chan-Chiung Liu, Kuan-Hsun Huang, Cheng-Xue Yu and Lung-Ming Fu
Micromachines 2023, 14(6), 1133; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14061133 - 28 May 2023
Viewed by 1772
Abstract
A microfluidic distillation system is proposed to facilitate the separation and subsequent determination of propionic acid (PA) in foods. The system comprises two main components: (1) a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) micro-distillation chip incorporating a micro-evaporator chamber, a sample reservoir, and a serpentine micro-condensation [...] Read more.
A microfluidic distillation system is proposed to facilitate the separation and subsequent determination of propionic acid (PA) in foods. The system comprises two main components: (1) a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) micro-distillation chip incorporating a micro-evaporator chamber, a sample reservoir, and a serpentine micro-condensation channel; and (2) and a DC-powered distillation module with built-in heating and cooling functions. In the distillation process, homogenized PA sample and de-ionized water are injected into the sample reservoir and micro-evaporator chamber, respectively, and the chip is then mounted on a side of the distillation module. The de-ionized water is heated by the distillation module, and the steam flows from the evaporation chamber to the sample reservoir, where it prompts the formation of PA vapor. The vapor flows through the serpentine microchannel and is condensed under the cooling effects of the distillation module to produce a PA extract solution. A small quantity of the extract is transferred to a macroscale HPLC and photodiode array (PDA) detector system, where the PA concentration is determined using a chromatographic method. The experimental results show that the microfluidic distillation system achieves a distillation (separation) efficiency of around 97% after 15 min. Moreover, in tests performed using 10 commercial baked food samples, the system achieves a limit of detection of 50 mg/L and a limit of quantitation of 96 mg/L, respectively. The practical feasibility of the proposed system is thus confirmed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Food Science Applications)
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19 pages, 5442 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Bacteria on the Stability of Microfluidic-Generated Water-in-Oil Droplet
by Nur Suaidah Mohd Isa, Hani El Kadri, Daniele Vigolo and Konstantinos Gkatzionis
Micromachines 2022, 13(12), 2067; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13122067 - 25 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2273
Abstract
Microencapsulation in emulsion droplets has great potential for various applications such as food which require formation of highly stable emulsions. Bacterial-emulsion interactions affect the physiological status of bacteria while bacterial cell characteristics such as surface-active properties and metabolic activity can affect emulsion stability. [...] Read more.
Microencapsulation in emulsion droplets has great potential for various applications such as food which require formation of highly stable emulsions. Bacterial-emulsion interactions affect the physiological status of bacteria while bacterial cell characteristics such as surface-active properties and metabolic activity can affect emulsion stability. In this study, the viability and growth of two different bacterial species, Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Lactobacillus paracasei, encapsulated in water-in-oil (W/O) droplets or as planktonic cells, were monitored and their effect on droplet stability was determined. Microencapsulation of bacteria in W/O droplets with growth media or water was achieved by using a flow-focusing microfluidic device to ensure the production of highly monodispersed droplets. Stability of W/O droplets was monitored during 5 days of storage. Fluorescence microscopy was used to observe bacterial growth behaviour. Encapsulated cells showed different growth to planktonic cells. Encapsulated E. coli grew faster initially followed by a decline in viability while encapsulated L. paracasei showed a slow gradual growth throughout storage. The presence of bacteria increased droplet stability and a higher number of dead cells was found to provide better stability due to high affinity towards the interface. The stability of the droplets is also species dependent, with E. coli providing better stability as compared to Lactobacillus paracasei. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Food Science Applications)
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Review

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29 pages, 10083 KiB  
Review
Microfluidic Devices for Heavy Metal Ions Detection: A Review
by Myrto-Kyriaki Filippidou and Stavros Chatzandroulis
Micromachines 2023, 14(8), 1520; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14081520 - 28 Jul 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4228
Abstract
The contamination of air, water and soil by heavy metal ions is one of the most serious problems plaguing the environment. These metal ions are characterized by a low biodegradability and high chemical stability and can affect humans and animals, causing severe diseases. [...] Read more.
The contamination of air, water and soil by heavy metal ions is one of the most serious problems plaguing the environment. These metal ions are characterized by a low biodegradability and high chemical stability and can affect humans and animals, causing severe diseases. In addition to the typical analysis methods, i.e., liquid chromatography (LC) or spectrometric methods (i.e., atomic absorption spectroscopy, AAS), there is a need for the development of inexpensive, easy-to-use, sensitive and portable devices for the detection of heavy metal ions at the point of interest. To this direction, microfluidic and lab-on-chip (LOC) devices fabricated with novel materials and scalable microfabrication methods have been proposed as a promising approach to realize such systems. This review focuses on the recent advances of such devices used for the detection of the most important toxic metal ions, namely, lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) ions. Particular emphasis is given to the materials, the fabrication methods and the detection methods proposed for the realization of such devices in order to provide a complete overview of the existing technology advances as well as the limitations and the challenges that should be addressed in order to improve the commercial uptake of microfluidic and LOC devices in environmental monitoring applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Food Science Applications)
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44 pages, 15284 KiB  
Review
Polymeric and Paper-Based Lab-on-a-Chip Devices in Food Safety: A Review
by Athina-Marina Mitrogiannopoulou, Vasiliki Tselepi and Kosmas Ellinas
Micromachines 2023, 14(5), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14050986 - 30 Apr 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3880
Abstract
Food quality and safety are important to protect consumers from foodborne illnesses. Currently, laboratory scale analysis, which takes several days to complete, is the main way to ensure the absence of pathogenic microorganisms in a wide range of food products. However, new methods [...] Read more.
Food quality and safety are important to protect consumers from foodborne illnesses. Currently, laboratory scale analysis, which takes several days to complete, is the main way to ensure the absence of pathogenic microorganisms in a wide range of food products. However, new methods such as PCR, ELISA, or even accelerated plate culture tests have been proposed for the rapid detection of pathogens. Lab-on-chip (LOC) devices and microfluidics are miniaturized devices that can enable faster, easier, and at the point of interest analysis. Nowadays, methods such as PCR are often coupled with microfluidics, providing new LOC devices that can replace or complement the standard methods by offering highly sensitive, fast, and on-site analysis. This review’s objective is to present an overview of recent advances in LOCs used for the identification of the most prevalent foodborne and waterborne pathogens that put consumer health at risk. In particular, the paper is organized as follows: first, we discuss the main fabrication methods of microfluidics as well as the most popular materials used, and then we present recent literature examples for LOCs used for the detection of pathogenic bacteria found in water and other food samples. In the final section, we summarize our findings and also provide our point of view on the challenges and opportunities in the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidics for Food Science Applications)
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