In a recent gathering of PHOTONFOOD´s young researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WU), participants from various project partners collaborated to demonstrate the compatibility and validate the usability of developments obtained in different PHOTONFOOD work packages. The meeting, which took place from January 30th to February 17th, proved to be an important platform to facilitate intense scientific exchange within the project.
The young researchers’ meeting aimed to integrate the available prototypes in accordance with the PHOTONFOOD objectives. Participants from UULM brought the current photonic prototypes and set them up in the labs at WU. BOKU supplied naturally contaminated wheat material for benchmarking the prototypes and sample handling procedures. Researchers from NMBU joined to work with the prototype. WU demonstrated their paper-based sample handling workflow, and all YRs from the involved partners worked together to integrate and benchmark the status-quo developments of the PHOTONFOOD project.
Most of the meeting was used for interfacing the prototypes with the paper-based sample handling workflows as well as for benchmarking against routine infrared spectrometers. By using rapid prototyping, facilitated by 3D-priniting, several interfacing strategies were tested forming the ongoing research. In addition, the successful demonstration of the portability of the HI-FI and MI-FI photonic prototypes and the establishment of calibrations are significant milestones in the project.
The achievements obtained within these trials helped to identify some obstacles and thereby form the basis for further optimizing the developments – and strengthened the interdisciplinary collaboration among the next generation of researchers within the project!
By Stephan Freitag, BOKU