The Vienna University of Technology (TUW), Austria's largest scientific and engineering research and education institution, is bringing a whole range of innovations to HANNOVER MESSE 2014 - including waste-to-value technology for wastewater and a process for increasing yield in biogas production. A team of researchers from TUW and the start-up BioTrac whose spin-off is imminent are presenting innovative food quality tests. Very sensitive, simple and fast – these are the characteristics of the new test methods.

What is in my food? Can I eat this? Do I want to eat this? Is my food free of any genetic modifications? Can I drink the water from the tap? With growing awareness driven by various recent food scandals, more and more consumers are paying attention to the quality of their food. Whether allergens, dangerous bacteria or fecal contamination - there is a long list of potentially hazardous ingredients that can be found in food and water. The new methods developed at TUW offer protection with rapid tests for a range of biological substances. These highly sensitive analysis processes are simple and already tested in practice. One advantage is that the tests can be performed on foods onsite in storage areas or stores - with no need for transport to a laboratory or expensive instruments. The analyses can indicate the presence of allergens, genetically modified plants and microorganisms, as well as fungal toxins.

The new detection methods have reached market readiness and should help ensure that consumers and providers of food and water can carry out many tests quickly and easily on their own in the future, rather than sending samples to a laboratory.

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