Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds produced by human action resistant to environmental degradation and whose bioaccumulative capacity and toxicity can cause harmful health effects e.g. cancer. Hence, they have become global threats for human and environment. The most extended analytic methods used nowadays for detecting POPs are gas chromatography and/or mass spectroscopy to separate and identify them. These methods are expensive -€1,000/sample-, time-consuming -24h-, require a laborious sample preparation and a well-equipped laboratory. Consequently, there is a great demand to increase the number of water and food quality tests if available for a lower price and shorter time. SAFTRA PHOTONICS will bring to market NanoScreen - a portable nano-optical sensing chip for pre-screening purpose that detects food or water contamination by POPs. We will offer a rapid method (10 minutes) to detect the most important POPs (ppb) present in food products and water, carrying out an in-situ analysis for less than 100€ per sample. By putting NanoScreen solution into the the European, Japanese and USA market, in 2023 we expect to sale 55,000 chips with revenue of €4,800,000 (27% Y/Y growth) and ROI 3.25. This ensures sustainability of 37 new full time job positions at company. The project resubmission (13.61) reflects couple of great achievements of 2016: FS has elaborated in detail the NanoScreen business plan, the company has signed two investment agreements, three business partners and two distribution partners. Moreover, we have identified another two major replication opportunities of future joint ventures that can form a new business-industrial ecosystem for online nano-screening. The vision is to reach a unique one-box-system tailored for specific applications, e.g. security, agriculture and sport. The Phase 2 funding will help us to close the gap from design validation to industrial production and significantly shorten the market entry period.

From SAFTRA PHOTONICS we will bring to the market: NanoScreen, a portable sensing device that will detect in-situ contamination in any food matrix and water with most deleterious Persistent Organic Pollutants -POPs- at a cost-effective price and in a reduced time-span, with a simpler procedure when comparing to current methodologies, allowing multiplexing. Persistent Organic Pollutants are transported across international boundaries far from their sources, even to regions where they have never been used or produced. These POP pose a threat to the environment and to human health all over the globe. A total of 152 countries have participated in the Stockholm Convention, the international event in which strategies for controlling POPs. In the EU there is a strong legal framework that must be followed in order to reduce POPs burden, which includes analysis and detection. Article 11 of the resulting document of the Stockholm Convention encourages the generation of new technologies for POPs monitoring and elimination. The most extended analytic methods used nowadays for detecting POPs are gas chromatography and/or mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) to separate and identify them. These methods are expensive -€1,000/sample-, time-consuming -24h-, require a laborious sample preparation and a well-equipped laboratory. The functioning of the Nanoscreen device is a revolutionary technique that makes much easier and functional the way of detecting and analysing POPs in food and water. We have mainly three advantages that make NanoScreen a fruitful innovation: Easy process for sample collection that can be done by non-specialists; Quick method, in which only 10 minutes are needed; Competitive price per analysis of 100€. Nanoscreen presents a ROI in 2022 of 2.45 and it is expected to reach its payback in July 2020 (two years and one month after the beginning of its commercialization).

The EU requires rapid and effective actions based on innovative detection concepts targeting quarantine, priority and other serious pests. Fair, healthy and environment-friendly food systems are threatened by increasing pest invasions due to climate change and a growing demand for high quality, pest-free food. The goal of PurPest is to develop, validate and demonstrate an innovative sensor platform that can rapidly detect five different pests during import and in the field to stop their establishment and reduce pesticide inputs by at least 50%. The sensor concept is based on detection of pest-specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by host plants invaded by one or several pests. PurPest will determine the VOC signature of Phytophthora ramorum, the Fall armyworm, the Cotton bollworm, the Brown marmorated stinkbug and the Pinewood nematode under different abiotic stress conditions. The VOC database will be exploited to optimize existing and develop new sensor concepts to detect pest-specific VOCs, starting from proof of concept (TRL3) to demonstration in field trials (TRL6). Non-invasive, reliable and rapid pest sensing platforms will increase pest screening efficiency from currently 3% to 80% of plant imports. Preventing outbreaks of new pests and site-specific pesticide use by early detection are the cornerstones of sustainable and integrated pest management (IPM). PurPest will evaluate the socio-economic and ecological impact of 5 pests and how the new detection concept affects these impacts. Direct communication with stakeholders via the advisory board, workshops and webinars is part of PurPest’s multi-actor approach to affirm involvement of all interest groups along the value chain The PurPest project is a strong multidisciplinary consortium with expertise from 10 countries, 7 universities, 5 research institutes, 4 SMEs and 2 governmental agencies.