Development of an embedded system for real-time milk spoilage monitoring and adulteration detection

Abstract

In the current work, a fluorescence-based method with a point-of-use colorimetric sensing system was developed to test the quality of the milk in real-time using fluorophores. The fluorescence intensities of fluorophores were optimised to predict the pH of the milk samples using colour sensor device (CSD) and were cross-reference using a fibre optic spectrophotometer (FOS). The developed CSD and FOS measured the pH and adulteration in a linear range of 4–9 pH units and 0–70 mm urea in milk with a quick response time of 30 s and 5 min. The interday variability for pH sensing by the CSD and FOS was evaluated and expressed as a percentage relative standard deviation (%RSD) which was found to be 1.89 for CSD and 4.72 for FOS. The results indicate that CSD and FOS can be suitable tools for spoilage and urea adulteration detection in milk samples.