Ocean Optics was successful in getting its Oxygen and pH sensors certified by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Class VI. With this certification in hand, the scope for their application is widened.
The HIOXY coated RedEye Oxygen Patches and the Sol-gel coated pH sensors were able to clear all the strict testing methods that are part of this certification.
Red Eye Oxygen Sensor
The oxygen and pH sensors from Ocean Optics are designed with optics as the base and are capable of giving accurate, live measurements taken at enclosed containers such as packets. The coating that is applied on the sensor does not eat away the sample and so can be laid on substrates such as probes, microtiter wells and self-adhesive acrylic patches that are standard formats for USP certification testing. The coating can be chosen based on the applications like general laboratory usage, high sensitivity or environments that are rich in hydrocarbons. There are two main ways, in which the reading can be seen, one is through colour change on a handheld LED or through a fluorometer for getting accurate measurements.
USP is an organisation for setting standards for various technologies and is not a government set up. The testing and certification was conducted by NAMSA, located at Northwood Ohio. The Class VI certification, which the sensors cleared, is the highest testing protocol for plastics that are used on packing medicines and other health care related products. By clearing this USP standard, the sensors from Ocean Optics would safely classify as non-toxic and biocompatible.