Design and Validation of an Optimal Mechanical Enclosure for Low Cost Real-Time Gluten Detection Using NIR Sensor in a Portable Device

Abstract

Food allergy, specifically gluten intolerance, is a significant global health issue affecting approximately 7% of the population, with the only effective treatment being lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet. Despite the need, no rapid, low-cost, non-invasive testing device is available for patients with this disease. This research, conducted within the TECAM project funded by the Basque Government and in collaboration with Leartiker and CEIT, aims to design and implement a technological solution for celiac individuals to query gluten contamination of food samples in real time using a low- cost device based on a near infrared (NIR) sensor (DLP NIRscan Nano), with a focus on the mechanical design and validation of the sensor’s integration for optimal NIR spectroscopy. Evaluations of environmental impacts on sample acquisition highlighted the significance of various disturbances like sensor height, light exposure, device temperature, and sample preparation, with tests using the SparkFun AS7263 sensor showing the importance of minimizing sensor height and external turbulence. This necessitated a closed, opaque enclosure, designed with CAD tools and 3D printed, with its efficacy validated using the "Software Usability Scale" (SUS) and "USE Questionnaire". Twenty prototypes were created during this iterative process, and the final design successfully integrates the DLP NIR scan Nano sensor, aligning with the design 4 all philosophy and ensuring optimal sensor functionality. Conclusively, this study offers a low-cost, portable design for a NIR sensor integration to detect gluten, emphasizing the need to minimize environmental disturbances and incorporating user feedback to produce a practical tool for celiacs to non-invasively assess gluten contamination quickly.