Validation of Sentia™ hand-held portable analyser
The client
Universal Biosensors is a global biosensor company and a world leader in electrochemical
cell technology. The Sentia™ hand-held portable analyser provides efficient and accurate
electrochemical detection of a range of wine analytes throughout the wine production
process. It uses disposable test strips that only require a small sample volume and are
designed based on industry standard reference methods.
The challenge
Efficient monitoring of important attributes across the winemaking process can require a
significant amount of resources and time. Any technology used in-field or at-line needs to
provide comparative accuracy and precision to established analytical reference methods.
The Sentia™ system is designed for use by wine industry personnel in the cellar or the
laboratory for the determination of wine parameters in unfinished or finished red and white
wine samples at various stages of the production process. Universal Biosensors requested
Affinity Labs to independently evaluate the performance and reliability of the system in
relation to various commonly used reference methods in the wine industry.
The solution
Multiple hand-held analyser units were used to assess the viability of using multiple test
strips for rapid measurement of different analytes, across a range of commercial red and
white wines.
To date, results have shown that the Sentia™ analyser provides real-time results for free
sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), malic acid and glucose, with comparable accuracy and precision to
established reference analytical methods.
The outcome
The Sentia™ analyser has been shown to be an effective real-time monitoring tool for
winemakers to use in the cellar or laboratory environment. Ongoing validation work for
fructose, titratable acidity (TA) and acetic acid will follow shortly and the range of analytes
will be expanded into 2023 and beyond.
‘Working with Affinity Labs throughout the design, development and validation of the
Sentia™ product allowed us to bring a world-class device to market in the first generation.
Affinity Labs staff were extremely professional throughout the process and guided us where
possible. I look forward to further close interactions with their lab as we add new tests to the
Sentia™ device in the years to come.’
Luke Cossins, Head of Research & Development, Universal Biosensors
