Spreeta-based biosensor immunoassays to detect fraudulent adulteration in milk and milk powder

Biacore biosensors (Biacore AB, Uppsala, Sweden) have proven to be robust analytical tools for the automated immunochemical detection of different adulterants and contaminants in milk and milk powder. However, the significant cost of the instruments is a disincentive for their wide application in food control laboratories. Therefore, a low-cost alternative optical biosensor (Spreeta, Texas Instruments, Attleboro, MA) was built into an affordable liquid handling system. Using this prototype biosensor, an inhibition immunoassay for bovine K-casein was evaluated for the detection of cow's milk in ewe's and goat's milk and for the detection of bovine rennet whey powder in milk powder. Comparable sensitivities were obtained for both adulterants in the Spreeta-based prototype biosensor and a Biacore 3000 instrument. The limit of detection for cow's milk was 0.17% (v/v) and bovine rennet whey powder could be detected in milk powder above 1% (w/w). The Spreeta sensor was also useful in the control of fraudulent water additions to milk, simply by measuring differences in the bulk response.     

A unified optical theorem for scalar and vectorial wave fields

The generalized optical theorem is an integral relation for the angle-dependent scattering amplitude of an inhomogeneous scattering object embedded in a homogeneous background. It has been derived separately for several scalar and vectorial wave phenomena. Here a unified optical theorem is derived that encompasses the separate versions for scalar and vectorial waves. Moreover, this unified theorem also holds for scattering by anisotropic elastic and piezoelectric scatterers as well as bianisotropic (non-reciprocal) EM scatterers.