A research team in South Korea has unveiled a microfluidic device that could reshape how scientists detect hazardous pollutants in water and food samples. By eliminating the need for filtration and other labour-intensive preparation steps, the technology allows contaminants to be extracted directly from samples containing solid particles, such as sand or food residue. The project was led by Dr Ju Hyeon Kim at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), working closely with Professor Jae Bem You’s team at Chungnam National University. Their newly developed microfluidic device integrates extraction and preparation into a single streamlined process, offering a faster and more reliable approach to environmental analysis. The problem with traditional testing methods Detecting trace contaminants in environmental and food samples is rarely straightforward. Water collected from real-world settings often contains suspended solids, such as soil or organic debris. Before laboratory analysis can begin, technicians typically filter out these particles and then carry out extraction procedures to isolate target compounds. This multi-step workflow presents two major challenges. First, filtration can unintentionally remove trace pollutants …