Rapid molecular detection of food and water-borne diseases
Cantilevers and lid devices are cheap, disposable devices to measure the quality of food and water and could soon be available to the producer. In this report in Microbiology Today, Anja Boisen describes this new technology, which can detect harmful microbes:
Micrometer-sized diving boards, also called cantilevers, can be used as highly sensitive biochemical sensors. The liquid to be analysed is passed through a pair of small cantilevers. Each cantilever has an integrated resistor with piezoresistive properties, which means that the resistance changes when the cantilever bends. Thus, by a simple electrical measurement of resistance change, the deflection of the cantilever can be determined.
