Taiwanese start-up to launch novel personalized food allergen detection system

14 Jan 2020 --- Responding to a growing number of adults with food allergies, Taiwan User-Friendly Sensor & Tech (TFT) – led by Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) – has created a personalized food allergen detection system to accurately test the amount of allergens in food. Using medical-level detection technology, the TFT innovation is touted as being able to help different users ease their allergic symptoms. With huge market potential behind the food allergies sector, TFT and its innovations are set to be officially launched in April 2021.

As gluten has become an increasingly prevalent food allergen, TFT plans to first address this before gradually expanding to other allergens such as peanuts, milk and nuts. “We have recently reached a cooperation agreement with a well-known gluten-free food supplier in the US, which serves as a great starting point for our next expansion to gluten-free factories,” Founder and CEO of TFT Wen-Hao Chen says.

Currently, standard food allergen detection technologies mostly use a fast-screening test, which provides a “yes” or “no” answer, similar to a pregnancy test. To provide a more nuanced solution, the TFT food allergen detection system tests the actual amount of allergens in food, helping different users effectively ease the allergic symptoms.

Chen states that this food allergen detection system’s nanotechnology enables the fastest process of detection in the industry – up to two minutes. The start-up team also uses artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analysis technology to create a cloud monitoring system and personalized applications for long-term tracking. This way, users can easily track and manage the date of detection through mobile apps.

An answer to a “present-day epidemic”
Chen calls the rising number of people with food allergies, including peanuts, nuts, seafood and milk, a “present-day epidemic.” Researchers at Food Allergies Research and Education (FARE) estimate that 32 million US consumers have food allergies, including 5.6 million children. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the current annual cost of healthcare for food allergies is about US$25 billion. 

In November, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a US medical research agency, additionally revealed that sesame allergy is becoming increasingly common among children. Meanwhile, nutrition-based companies across the board continue to incorporate the “gluten-free” label to emphasize the health halo of their NPD and existing products. 

Technological boom
The personalized health and nutrition trend is increasingly going hand-in-hand with novel technology and digital applications. The new decade is primed to witness a digital healthcare revolution, as US-based healthcare company Abbott has flagged key developments in this space, including personalized medicine, electronic health records and implanted medical devices. 

Following suit, Atrium Innovations, a Nestlé Health Science (NHSc) company, has acquired technology-based functional medicine platform LivingMatrix in a bid to further bolster its position in the personalized nutrition space. IFF is also set to expand within the nutrition segment following its groundbreaking DuPont merger last month.

Edited by Anni Schleicher