Development of an automated colorimeter controlled by Raspberry Pi4

A low-cost new instrument to carry out automated colorimetric analysis has been developed. The device consists of a carousel sampler, built by a 3D-printer, and a Raspberry Pi4-controlled signal measurement module based on the RGBC (red, green, blue and clear) responses of a TCS34725 color light-to-digital converter with IR filter. The device has been tested with calibration standards of different food dyes (Tartrazine, Red Allure AC and Brilliant Blue FCF) and three food samples containing one of each food dye. The new device provides R-2 > 0.995 and a LOD of 1.1, 1.4 and 0.1 mu mol L-1 for each food dye, respectively. The results are statistically comparable to those obtained with a conventional benchtop spectrophotometer. The proposed device achieves a reduction in sample and waste volume and in analysis time, minimizes the use of energy, and allows in situ measurements, being an automated method it is safer for operators in comparison to the reference method, yielding similar analytical results and following the principles of green analytical chemistry.

Automated summary

A low-cost instrument for automated colorimetric analysis has been developed, which consists of a 3D-printed carousel sampler and a Raspberry Pi4-controlled signal measurement module. The device has been tested with different food dyes and food samples, showing statistically comparable results to a conventional benchtop spectrophotometer. It achieves a reduction in sample and waste volume, analysis time, and energy usage, while ensuring operator safety and following the principles of green analytical chemistry.