Help With Detecting Caffeine

Chemists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are developing a quick, "dipstick" test they say could represent the first home testing kit to detect caffeine. Interest in detecting this common stimulant is high and growing as consumers increasingly try to avoid caffeine due to its unwanted health effects.

Caffeine is a common cause of insomnia, irritability and anxiety disorders and contributes to several known diseases. Several studies have linked caffeine consumption with a higher risk of miscarriage among pregnant women prompting the US Food and Drug Administration to specifically advise that pregnant women avoid or limit their intake of caffeine.

The test may lead to a reduction in demand for products containing caffeine and that can only benefit health. I have previously criticized people who promote increased caffeine consumption or support those who do. A search on The Health Gazette site will reveal several articles on the theme because caffeine is a widely abused drug that too many people know very little about.

To develop the new immunoassay test, lead developer Ladenson, a chemist at the university, and his associates, obtained an antibody derived from the blood of llamas. The researchers obtained the antibodies by repeatedly injecting the animals with caffeine to illicit an immune response to the drug. They then cloned the caffeine-specific antibody and combined it with other chemicals to enable caffeine detection. The study will appear in the 1 June edition of the American Chemical Societys Analytical Chemistry.

Caffeine is placed in many products that people don't normally assume contain the substance. The amount found in coffee labeled as decaffeinated can actually be quite high. Having a reliable, quick indicator could prove very important for many people, especially those who are very sensitive to caffeine and those with problems such as anxiety, where caffiene avoidance is particularly beneficial.

Existing methods of caffeine detection are slow, unsuited to consumer use and expensive. The new test solves all these problems. It indicates qualitatively whether or not caffeine is present, but does not quantify the amount. For those who wish to avoid caffeine, that's certainly what is needed.