Allergies can be a major problem for many Americans, especially during the spring and summer. The excess pollen in the air can lead to cold-like symptoms and running or stuffy noses that make sufferers feel annoyed and off-put about the seasons. However, one of the biggest issues that they face doesn’t come from the trees, it comes from their food.
Food allergies are among the most common forms of allergy around, with some 15 million Americans having a food allergy that they have to worry about. However, it can be difficult to tell what is safe to eat and what is not, as unlike with air pollutants, one doesn’t just automatically know what the issue is.
Sometimes food can have unexpected ingredients. This creates a problem, and luckily there is a solution. A new keychain device that warns about allergens in food.
The reason for the device’s creation is that food allergies can spring up on someone quickly when they are out to eat, as it can be difficult to figure out what is inside a particular dish. Unlikely with dust mites (which 80% of Americans are exposed to daily), or pet dander (60% daily exposure), which can cause health problems for those with asthma or allergies, a food allergy can be fatal.
And that’s where the product of researchers at the Harvard Medical School comes into play. The keychain is a portable allergen-detection system that includes a keychain analyzer and could maybe save someone’s life.
“This is a portable device or a ‘dongle’ for on-site detection of food allergens,” Professor Lee Hakho, who leads Harvard University’s Biomedical Engineering Program, told Digital Trends. “The incidence of food allergy is increasing worldwide, particularly among children, and yet no handy test is available for the general public. Our technology was developed to address this challenge — empowering consumers to control and safeguard their own diet.”
The system would cost $40 and is made up of three parts. One is a small, single-use slide that is used for collecting data on allergens. It is then plugged into the analyzer attached to the keychain, which identifies any allergens inside the food. This information is then sent to a smartphone app wirelessly and displays the necessary readings.
“This system is basically a platform technology, and can detect many different types of allergens by changing antibodies that capture target allergens,” Hakho said. “In this proof-of-concept study, we have tested five representative allergens: gluten, peanut, hazelnut, egg white, and milk.”
Hakho and his team want to extend the detection targets for the device to include other common allergens, such as shellfish and harmful chemicals. There has been no real estimated release date for the device as of yet.
