For those that do, eating gluten free is a requirement to remain healthy. This can be difficult, however, as gluten is present in many foods, which is not always obvious. While foods that are sold in the grocery store are required to label for allergens, restaurants do not have the same requirements and can even struggle with cross-contamination within their kitchens. These issues can make it difficult to navigate whether a meal is safe to eat. For those that have topical allergies as well, the cosmetics industry adds another dimension of difficulty, as the FDA does not require labels for allergens on cosmetic products.

Due to these difficulties, some companies have tried to make a device to test for the presence of gluten within food and cosmetics. The most prevalent example is the Nima Sensor. However, the Nima Sensor can struggle in quite a few applications. First, it is an electronic device, meaning that it requires users to ensure that it is charged before use. The device itself and associated one-time use capsules are also quite expensive. The Nima sensor struggles with non homogenous and doughy samples, limiting its applicability to a variety of foods. 

The potential market for this device would include anyone with gluten related disorders who wants to ensure their food is safe or anyone who often cooks for someone who has a gluten related disorder. We hope to one day market the product to restaurants as well, who could use the device to ensure their food is safe for customers.

These issues with the devices currently available inspired our team to create a device that could test for the presence of gluten across a wide variety of food samples without the need for an electronic device. The most innovative part of our device is the inclusion of a processing component that helps break down the food sample to a consistency that can be tested with a lateral flow test.

Our testing results found that the device works well across a variety of different foods. Testing the subcomponents proved that the device can process chewy, liquid, and doughy foods. Testing of the lateral flow test found that they can produce correct results over a variety of foods. We also found that the lateral flow tests do not require refrigeration, allowing them to be portable. 

Future work includes making the device applicable to more allergens by switching out the lateral flow test used. Recommendations for translation to the market mostly focus on marketing, as our device is not required to go through any regulatory pathways.