Chemists from St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU) have created test strips to determine the concentration of ascorbic acid in products. Development is important to control the nutrition of children susceptible to allergic reactions.
“Scientists from St. Petersburg State University have created a compact and inexpensive test system that allows you to quickly and environmentally friendly determine the concentration level of ascorbic acid in food products. “You can process the test strip information using a smartphone app almost instantly.” – says the press service.
It should be noted that ascorbic acid can be naturally present in food or intentionally added as a dietary supplement, as it improves the absorption of iron from food and improves immunity. An increased content of ascorbic acid in the human body causes allergic reactions and upset stomach. Children are especially susceptible to such negative influences.
Nowadays, methods for determining ascorbic acid concentration are time-consuming and expensive, requiring the use of large amounts of toxic solvents and expensive techniques. Therefore, test methods that allow rapid analysis at minimal cost under non-laboratory conditions are of interest.
“To perform the analysis, a reagent strip to which a photometric reagent has been applied, which is the non-reduced form of phosphorus heteropolyacid, is placed on the product. When interacting with ascorbic acid, the color of the reagent changes from yellow to blue. The user then records a digital image of the test strip using a smartphone camera and processes it in a special application. As a result, information is obtained about the content of ascorbic acid in the product under study,” — explained the head of the study, professor at St. Petersburg State University Irina Timofeeva.
According to her, in some cases the result can be easily determined visually, by the color of the strip. At the same time, the strip making process is environmentally friendly, safe and simple. When manufacturing the test strips, to apply and stabilize the reagent, scientists used an environmentally friendly substance, menthol, which also helps to increase the shelf life of the test strips.
