The main objective of MOLOKO project is the manufacturing, implementation and validation of a self-managing and automatic miniaturized integrated photonic sensor to be used as process analytical instrumentation for fastresponse on-site monitoring of interest analytes for security and quality within milk supply chain. In particular, we aim at realizing multiplexing quantitative detection of up to 10 analytes among which food safety parameters, e.g. antibiotics (i.e. penicillin, ampicillin, cephalonium) and toxins (i.e. mycotoxins and bacterial toxins) and food quality parameters e.g. lactoferrin and caseins by implementing a highly-integrated optoplasmonic-microfluidic sensor in the strategic checkpoints along the entire supply and value chain of milk.

The MOLOKO miniaturized integrated photonic sensor is specifically designed according to milk primary production, processing and distribution end-users in order to enable and guarantee self-monitoring safety and quality standards by the use of a reliable, highly sensitive and specific, low-cost innovative self-screening photonic technology. The effectiveness and market-placement of the engineered functional prototype is quantitatively evaluated by direct comparison with respect to standard analytical methods and commercially available optical biosensors.