Application of Biochip Technology in Packaging (4)

3.2 Testing Package Specific Proteins

In food packaging technology, various packaging processes have different degrees of influence on the protein components of foods. The composition and content of various proteins in food directly determine the quality and flavor of packaged goods. Some proteins need to be tested when developing new products. Biochips can detect multiple proteins at once.

The microarray technology of biochips utilizes the interaction between antibodies and antigens, receptors, and ligands to conduct a variety of studies on the structure, function, and modification of specific proteins, and provides an advantageous tool for the development of proteomics. Microarray technology is to further miniaturize microplate technology. Recently, researchers at Harvard University have developed a compound microarray chip for screening compounds that specifically bind to specific proteins. They chemically treat the surface of the slide and derivatize it to produce reactive groups. Then the compounds dissolved in organic solvents are robotically placed on the surface of the treated slide. The compound reacts with the active groups on the surface of the slide and is Fixed on the surface of the slide, so that the different compounds were arranged into a microarray, fixed on the surface of the slide to make a compound microarray chip. The protein of interest is then fluorescently labeled and then reacted with the compound on the microarray chip. After washing, fluorescence detection is then performed to screen for compounds that specifically bind to this protein.

3.3 Packaging Toxicology Analysis and Detection

Many packaging materials have some degree of toxicity in varying degrees. In particular, there is a mutual diffusion of components between the packaging material and the packaging. Certain toxic components, such as heavy metals, enter the packaging during the storage period of the product. Therefore, the toxicity evaluation of packaging and commodities is a very important part of the packaging technology research process.

At present, the toxicology research uses murine as a model to determine the potential toxicity of packaging materials and packaging through animal experiments. These methods take a few years and are costly. DNA chip technology can correlate packaging toxicity with gene expression characteristics and determine the packaging's toxicity through gene expression analysis. The use of DNA chips can analyze the expression of thousands of genes in one experiment at the same time, providing entirely new clues for studying the effects of packaging materials or heavy metal molecules on biological systems. The technology can analyze single or multiple harmful substances, determine the toxicity of chemical substances under low dose conditions, analyze and infer the toxicity of toxic substances to different organisms. If there is a characteristic pattern of gene expression corresponding to different types of toxic substances, then by comparing gene expression profiles of control samples and toxic substances, various toxic substances can be classified, and on this basis, further The establishment of a suitable biological model system can reflect the toxicity of toxic substances to humans through changes in gene expression.

At the same time, the biochip can also study the trace reaction between the package and the package by detecting the content of heavy metals and their compounds in the package.

4 Conclusion

Biochip technology is a comprehensive high-tech, involving fields such as biology, chemistry, medicine, physics, materials, microelectronics, bioinformatics, precision instruments, etc. It is a research field with strong cross-disciplines. Although the research on biochips has made great progress so far, the development of some related technologies has restricted its further development. For example, as chip integration increases, the amount of reactants used decreases, and the signals generated by them become weaker and weaker. Therefore, the demand for high-precision detectors is imminent. In addition, micro-processing technology, chip packaging and preservation are also aspects that should be emphasized in the research and development of bio-chips.

In the process of biochip technology research and application development, there are still many unknown areas that require everyone to work hard. However, with the development of this technology, it will certainly open up a broad application prospect for packaging technology.

China National Packaging Corporation Key Laboratory of New Packaging Materials and Technology Chen Xin Xiang Hongxiang Xian Wei from China Packaging