Four per cent of Australians, and up to 65 per cent of people around the world, are lactose intolerant. A versatile Australian invention is set to reduce the cost and time to produce lactose-free dairy products, and in the future could detect diseases such as cancer.
The CSIRO-developed Cybertongue uses biological sensor technology to detect specific substances in food. Australian startup PPB Technology plans to focus its initial rollout on detecting lactose in milk as well as enzymes that indicate the milk has gone off.
Dr Stephen Trowell, a former CSIRO researcher and PPB founder, said in a media release that the global market for lactose-free dairy products is expected to grow to $15 billion over the next six years. Trowell sees an opportunity to lower costs and speed up processes.
“For milk processors, current diagnostic methods for lactose are expensive and it can take up to a week to receive results, causing costs and delays for processors and increasing prices for consumers,” he explained.
When the Cybertongue is equipped with a lactose-detecting biosensor, Trowell said it could deliver accurate, real-time measurements in the production line, allowing faster distribution without risking quality.
A taste for rapid disease detection
The Cybertongue is not just a one trick pony. According to senior CSIRO researcher Dr Alisha Anderson, the technology can detect a wide range of substances including toxins, allergens and enzymes.
The CSIRO website states that Cybertongue sensors have been used to measure clotting enzymes in blood, as well as other enzymes that play a role in programmed cell death and breaking up blood clots.
It has also detected bacterial proteases, which can be used by unfriendly bacteria to breach the body’s defences.
Researchers are gearing up to use the tech for rapid disease detection by adapting it to gauge the levels of protease biomarkers in blood, allowing cancers and infections to be picked up more quickly.
“In human health this technology could mean potentially fatal health conditions like sepsis could be diagnosed in just a few minutes rather than current methods, which take a few hours, potentially leading to faster and more effective treatment,” Anderson explained, adding that it could be used in the early detection of some cancers.
CSIRO is also developing a passive transdermal imaging capability, which could help track disease progression and design treatments.
As well as health and food production, Anderson said the Cybertongue had potential applications in environmental monitoring and biosecurity.
“This is a great example of how a startup can take science and innovation developed inside of CSIRO into the Australian community,” she added.