Thanks to a new edible sensor, thyme will become the first symptom of flu.
Among the many problems of gripe It is the fact that the virus can be spread even before it is known that it is infected. A new experimental “sensor”-announced in a study this Wednesday in ACS Central Science – You can prevent this from happening, by making you feel thyme.
Quick tests (such as Covid) that allow people to test at home for flu, usually only effective when patients already have symptoms. When patients are still pre-symptomatic-but already contagious-the tests are ineffective. There are other tests that detect the flu virus before symptoms arise, although they tend to be expensive and slow.
This is where the new molecular sensor comes in, which is being developed by scientists at the University of Würzburg, Germany. It is a simple edible ingredient that can be incorporated into elastic or avasted tablets.
OPPROCIPAL Active Component of the Sensor is a glycoprotein that is part of the flu virus, known as Neuraminidase – is the “n” in H1N1.
As the virus usually uses neuraminidase to break certain host cell bonds that is attacking in order to infect it. In the sensor, neuraminidase is linked to molecules of a phenolic compound called the thymol, which is found in thyme.
The idea is that when the sensor is placed in the mouth of a person infected with flu, the Virus will activate neuraminidasecausing it to break the links that keep the molecules of thymol in place – thus allowing them to be felt by the tongue.
When detecting the taste similar to that of thyme, the person will know that he has flu. In tests done so far, the sensor has successfully released Timol within half an hour after being placed in saliva vials obtained from infected people.
