Al-Shami Abdulrahman, Amirghasemi Farbod, Soleimani Ali, Khazaee Nejad Sina, Ong Victor, Berkmen Alara, Ainla Alar, Mousavi Maral P S
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 1042 Downey Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, 4715-330, Braga, Portugal.
Small. 2024 Aug;20(31):e2311745. doi: 10.1002/smll.202311745. Epub 2024 Apr 8.
Choline is an essential micronutrient for infants' brain development and health. To ensure that infants receive the needed daily dose of choline, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set requirements for choline levels in commercialized infant formulas. Unfortunately, not all families can access well-regulated formulas, leading to potential inadequacies in choline intake. Economic constraints or difficulties in obtaining formulas, exacerbated by situations like COVID-19, prompt families to stretch formulas. Accurate measurement of choline in infant formulas becomes imperative to guarantee that infants receive the necessary nutritional support. Yet, accessible tools for this purpose are lacking. An innovative integrated sensor for the periodic observation of choline (SPOOC) designed for at-home quantification of choline in infants' formulas and milk powders is reported. This system is composed of a choline potentiometric sensor and ionic-liquid reference electrode developed on laser-induced graphene (LIG) and integrated into a spoon-like device. SPOOC includes a micro-potentiometer that conducts the measurements and transmits results wirelessly to parents' mobile devices. SPOOC demonstrated rapid and accurate assessment of choline levels directly in pre-consuming infant formulas without any sample treatment. This work empowers parents with a user-friendly tool for choline monitoring promoting informed nutritional decision-making in the care of infants.
胆碱是婴儿大脑发育和健康所必需的微量营养素。为确保婴儿获得每日所需的胆碱剂量,美国食品药品监督管理局(FDA)对商业化婴儿配方奶粉中的胆碱含量设定了要求。不幸的是,并非所有家庭都能获得监管良好的配方奶粉,这可能导致胆碱摄入不足。经济限制或获取配方奶粉的困难,因新冠疫情等情况而加剧,促使家庭延长配方奶粉的使用时间。准确测量婴儿配方奶粉中的胆碱对于确保婴儿获得必要的营养支持至关重要。然而,目前缺乏用于此目的的便捷工具。本文报道了一种创新的用于定期观察胆碱的集成传感器(SPOOC),用于在家中定量检测婴儿配方奶粉和奶粉中的胆碱。该系统由基于激光诱导石墨烯(LIG)开发的胆碱电位传感器和离子液体参比电极组成,并集成到一个勺状装置中。SPOOC包括一个微电位计,用于进行测量并将结果无线传输到家长的移动设备。SPOOC无需任何样品处理即可直接对食用前的婴儿配方奶粉中的胆碱水平进行快速准确的评估。这项工作为家长提供了一个用户友好的胆碱监测工具,有助于在照顾婴儿时做出明智的营养决策。