A portable FRET analyzer for rapid detection of sugar content

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is widely used as a core process in biometric sensors to detect small molecules such as sugars, calcium ions, or amino acids. However, FRET based biosensors with innate weak signal intensity require the use of expensive, high-sensitive equipment. In the present study, these shortcomings were overcome with the fabrication of a sensitive, inexpensive, and portable analyzer which provides quantitative detection of small molecules in a liquid sample. The usability of the developed analyzer was successfully tested by measuring sucrose and maltose contents in commercially available beverage samples, with better performance than the conventional monochromator-type spectrofluorometer. It is anticipated that miniaturization of the equipment and improving the FRET based biosensors will contribute to the practical use of this hand-held analyzer in conditions where high-end equipment is not available.