A field portable scanner for analysis of thin layer chromatography plates based on multiwavelength image processing

Abstract

A field portable, multiwavelength, digital image processing system for the analysis of thin layer chromatography plates is described. The imaging module consists of a two-dimensional charge coupled device detector, a xenon strobe light source, a stepper driven filter wheel for wavelength selection, and hardware to digitize images. The instrument is controlled by a laptop computer resulting in a compact device the size of a 6-in. thick briefcase. As a representative application, software has been developed for the automated analysis of sulfa residues in pork products by thin layer chromatography (USDA SOS-test). Response to analyte concentration is linear over two and one half orders of magnitude with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. Detection limit is 80 pg for sulfamethazine spotted on a plate.

Thin layer chromatographic separation of cobalt from nickel on impregnated silica gel layers: quantitative determination by digital image analysis

“…Very recently the pioneering work of Hess [9] illustrated the development and application of hyphenated TLC-digital image analysis ( DE-TLC) as a cost-effective alternative for TLC-optical scanning densitometry. Other significant developments were the application of field portable scanner for quantitative analysis of TLC plates based on multi-wavelength image processing [10] as well as the development and application of TLC-digital image analysis system for the determination of cichoric acid present in Echinacea purpurea ( L. ) Moench [11] .…”