GR1010539B - Device for the rapid electrochemical detection of residues of plant protection products and plasticizers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a rapid electrochemical detection device destined to detect residues of plant protection products and plasticizers in olive oil so that unwanted residues in olive oil samples can be detected directly and without the existence of expensive laboratories. The device has the subsystem (1) which includes points for the placement of the olive oil (3, 4) and solvents (5, 6), an array of micropumps (7) and valves (8) to drive the samples into flow cells (9,10) where electrochemical sensors (15,16) analyze and measure the relevant samples. Furthermore, the device has plural supporting electronic subsystems (2) enabling the measurements and the communication with the user.

Description

DESCRIPTION

RAPID ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION DEVICE

RESIDUES OF PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS

AND PLASTICIZERS

THE FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The invention refers to the field of physics and even more specifically to the field of measurements and tests. In particular it refers to the field of research or analysis of materials, determining their chemical or physical properties. Even more specifically it refers to the investigation or analysis of materials using electrical, electrochemical or magnetic means. It specifically refers to a rapid electrochemical detection device for residues of plant protection products and plasticizers in olive oil.

THE HISTORY OF THE INVENTION

The device disclosed in the present invention for rapid electrochemical detection of residues of plant protection products and plasticizers has not been disclosed in the prior art.

Organophosphate insecticides, as is well known, are widely used to combat the olive borer, with full coverage spraying in all olive producing countries, where bait spraying is not done. However, they are often used for additional protection in cases where the bait sprays, for various reasons (not timely or not properly applied), do not have the required effectiveness. However, organophosphate drugs, while they allow a relatively safe protection of the fruits from damage by the scab, because most of them are lipophilic and can dissolve and remain in the oil, create significant risks for the existence of health-damaging residues in the olive oil. In addition, contamination of the olive oil results from plasticizers and phthalates. The main cause of contamination and detection of plasticizers in olive oil comes from the use of inappropriate materials (tanks, pipes, containers, etc.) in olive mills or presses or from the use of inappropriate such materials by olive producers when transporting and storing it in their own inappropriate areas . These additives penetrate, "migrate" from the plastic packaging to the food or drinks that are either stored in them (e.g. tanks) or pass through them (e.g. pipes) and finally end up in the human body through food. Until today, insecticides have traditionally been detected in laboratories by chromatography, which is a reliable and accurate method, but also very time-consuming and expensive, since it requires expensive instruments and highly trained personnel. Furthermore, time-consuming and expensive detection methods are often avoided due to cost and time constraints, especially when they are not mandatory, resulting in the final product being hazardous or generally outside of permissible limits, thereby endangering human health. In addition, up to now the methods for detecting plant protection products and plasticizers used are only of a chemical type, without any known electrochemical reactions being used to detect the above residues in olive oil.

It is thus an object of the present invention to advantageously address the above-mentioned disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art by proposing a device for the electrochemical detection of residues of plant protection products and plasticizers in olive oil.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for electrochemical detection of residues of plant protection products and plasticizers in olive oil, which is portable and operates autonomously, without requiring other instruments or protected spaces for its use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for electrochemical detection of residues of plant protection products and plasticizers in olive oil, which rapidly produces measurement results.

Further advantages of the invention are that it does not require specialized personnel for its operation, has a small size and is portable, while at the same time it has a very short analysis time of the samples, as well as a low cost for each analysis.

A further object of the invention is the presentation of a device for the electrochemical detection of residues of plant protection products and plasticizers in olive oil, which provides the possibility of remote overview of the results in real time, through an online platform, allowing the end user to centrally manage the results of downloads at multiple points .

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated in an illustrative non-limiting manner.

Figure 1 shows in an illustrative illustration the subsystems of the apparatus for rapid electrochemical detection of residues of plant protection products and plasticizers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED APPLICATION

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, we will describe indicative applications of the rapid electrochemical detection device for residues of plant protection products and plasticizers, so that its technical characteristics and advantages become apparent.

The present invention relates to a portable device for rapid electrochemical detection of analytes, such as, for example, pesticides and plasticizers in olive oil. The device consists of two kinds of subsystems, Fig. 1, the macrorheic subsystem (1) and the electronic subsystems (2). The macrorheological subsystem (1) is the subsystem that manages the liquid samples under measurement. The macrorheic subsystem includes at least two sample placement points (3), (4), where the olive oil samples under examination are placed. Correspondingly, there are two places for placing solvents (5), (6) for adding the appropriate solvent, in order to mix and analyze the olive oil sample. An array of micropumps (7) and valves (8) drives the olive oil and solvent samples into two flow cells (9), (10), through two bubble traps (11), (12), one before each flow cell . The bubble traps (11), (12) keep the bubbles from the samples under measurement, as they can affect the results of the analyses. A water inlet (13) is further provided to feed the system with water, so that through the array of micro-pumps (7) and valves (8) it is directed and purges the bubble traps (11), (12) and the flow cells (9), (10) from the analyzed olive oil samples and from the corresponding solvents. A further waste tank (14) is used to collect this water, for its subsequent disposal.

The measurement and analysis of each sample to investigate the presence of pesticides and plasticizers is carried out separately in each of the flow cells (9), (10), by means of electrochemical sensors (15), (16) inside the flow cells (9), (10) respectively.

The electronic subsystems (2) include a central electronic system board (17), the pump controllers (18), indoor and outdoor temperature sensors (19), a fan controller (20), a touch screen (21), a GPS position sensor (22), a cooling unit (23), a power supply system (24) and a battery (25). The cooling unit (23) with the temperature sensors (19) and the fan controller (20) are used to keep the system temperature under control, as changes in temperature may cause errors in the measurements.

The operation of all these subsystems is controlled by a microcomputer integrated system with sufficient computing power, memory, number of interface ports and the ability to support different communication protocols with the peripherals.

It should be noted at this point that the description of the invention was made with reference to indicative application examples to which it is not limited. Therefore, any change or modification in terms of shape, dimensions, morphology, materials used and construction and assembly components, as long as they do not constitute a new inventive step and do not contribute to the technical development of what is already known, are considered included in the aims and objectives of the present invention as summarized in below claims.

Claims (1)

1. Device for rapid electrochemical detection of residues of plant protection products and plasticizers, consisting of a macrorheic (1) and electronic subsystems (2), where the macrorheic subsystem (1) has at least two olive oil sample placement points (3), (4) and at least two solvent placement points (5), (6) for driving the olive oil samples and solvents through an array of micropumps (7) and valves (8) into two flow cells (9), (10), through two traps of bubbles (1 1), (12), one before each flow cell (9), (10), further has a water entry point (13) and a residue tank (14) for cleaning the flow cells (9) , (10) and where a central electronic board of the system (17), pump controllers (18), indoor and outdoor temperature sensors (19), a fan controller (20), a touch screen (21), a position sensor GPS (22), a cooling unit (23), a power supply system (24) and a battery (25) constitute the electronic subsystems, characterized by the fact that in each flow cell (9), (10) there is an electrochemical sensor (15) ), (16) which receives an electrical signal from the electronic subsystems (2) and analyzes the samples within the flow cells (9), (10).