Portable detection system for ochratoxin A by real time chromatography and a-Si:H photodiodes
In this paper, we report on the design, fabrication and characterization of a low cost, portable detection system able to quantify, in a rapid and reliable way, the contamination level of Ochratoxin A (OTA) in wine and beer. The operating principle is the real time monitoring of the natural fluorescence of OTA molecules during a chromatographic run on a Thin Layer Chromatographic plate. The fluorescence is detected by an array of amorphous silicon photosensors whose photocurrents are directly proportional to the amount of OTA molecules present in the sample under analysis.