Team Saptasense has been nominated for the Best Composite Part!

Parts:Overview

Our diverse array of parts are all united in the same goal: ameliorating issues associated with the maple syrup industry. They can be further classified into the following categories.

Buddy Sap Detection

Defective “buddy” maple syrup is associated with increases of the small molecules asparagine, sarcosine, and choline. We therefore designed a series of three biosensors to detect these biological compounds.
Asparagine: We designed a universal whole-cell biosensor and applied it towards the detection of asparagine. We were able to demonstrate a measurable difference in read-out between varying concentrations of asparagine using the key BioBrick BBa_K4130000.
Sarcosine: We used two DNA aptamers with affinity for sarcosine (BioBricks BBa_K4130014 and BB_K4130015). Aptamers were deposited onto low-cost screen printed electrodes (SPEs) to form electrochemical sensors. We were able to demonstrate we were able to demonstrate a distinct signal upon addition of sarcosine to the biosensor.
Choline: We designed an enzymatic electrochemical biosensor utilizing the enzyme choline oxidase (expressed from BioBrick BBa_K4130005). We were able to demonstrate predictable differences in read-out for various choline concentrations.

Invert Sugar Measurement

Through our integrated human practices work, we learned that sugarmakers struggle to measure levels of glucose in their syrup, critical for making maple confections such as candies and creams. Accordingly, we designed a glucometer with a calibrated range of detection made specifically for maple syrup detection. Our glucometer will be able to utilize parts BBa_K4130007, BBa_K4130009, and BBa_K4130011 which represent theoretical thermal stability improvements to part BBa_BBBa_K2238000.

Ropy Syrup Repurposing

Texturally-defective “ropy” maple syrup is typically discarded or sold at an extremely low price, resulting in significant profit losses for producers. Team Saptasense proposes an alternative that restores profit margins and reduces food waste. In this solution, “ropy” syrup is used as a sucrose-rich culture medium for genetically modified bacteria (Biobrick BBa_K4130013) capable of producing the valuable compound dextran. Dextran can then be purified and utilized to make hydrogels for agricultural seed germination.