Study of Mechanical Response of Paper-Based Microfluidic System as a Potential Milk Tester

Abstract

Milk is considered a complete meal that requires supervision to determine its suitability for human consumption. The development of sustainable devices that evaluate food properties has gained importance due to the necessity of integrating these instruments into the production chain. However, the materials employed to develop it, such as polymers, semiconductors, and glass, lack sustainability and require specialized equipment to fabricate them. Different chemical techniques have been used to miniaturize these detection systems such as microfluidics, which have been used in milk component detection using colorimetry. In this work, a cantilever beam paper-based microfluidic system is proposed to evaluate differences in milk, according to nutritional information, using its electromechanical response. A 20-microliter milk drop is deposited in the system, which induces hygroexpansion and deflection due to liquid transport within the paper. Likewise, a conductive path is added on the beam top surface to supply a constant current that induces heat to evaporate the solution. According to the results obtained, it is possible to point out differences between trademarks with this microfluidic system. The novelty of this system relies on the paper electromechanical response that integrates the hygroexpansion-induced displacement, which can be used for further applications such as milk microtesters instead of colorimetric tests that use paper as a property-evaluation platform in combination with chemical reactions.