Measurement technology

Cleantech research aims to develop new applications of measurement technology for real-time environmental monitoring, extractive industries, forestry, and the challenges and opportunities generated by renewable bioeconomy. The aim is to develop commercialized measurement solutions with other research institutes, particularly those operating in Kainuu and across Finland. With an extensive network of companies, we can test and demonstrate developed measuring equipment solutions in real industrial sites.

The key competence of research is based on electrochemistry, optical measurement methods and imaging measurements. From the side of analytical chemistry, we can provide services for chemical analytics (for example, sulfate, ammonium, chloride, nitrate). Technical support know-how we can provide for the development and testing of equipment solutions. Cleantech research has also received funding to prepare commercialization for a project related to real-time environmental measurements from Tekes 'Research New Information and Business' instrument.

Our researchers actively discuss with business operators and strive to develop competencies for industry needs. Our unit has the potential to provide knowledgeable researchers and services to the growing opportunities in the Cleantech industry.

Our Cleantech researchers have been actively building international networks (e.g. Tor Vergata University from Rome, University of Cranfield from England and the University of Bratislava from Slovakia) and the aim in the future is to jointly make EU-level applications for Horizon 2020.

Mission: Development of on-line biosensors for human physiological applications, development and provision of analytics serving food industry, analytics and study of plant value compounds and bioactivity research, and processing plant materials. The provision of analysis services in selected application areas is always an important part of the activity alongside research and development.

Core competence: Biosensors: electrochemical enzyme and immunosensors, and optical SPR sensors. Versatile processing and analysis of plant sample materials.

Services: Co-funded research, subscription research, analytics, consulting, equipment and facility rental.

Main application areas: Wellness, sports and exercise, home and guest diagnostics, food industry.

Examples of analysis services: Composition of foods (e.g., fatty acids, phenolic compounds, sugars, vitamin C), antioxidative (ORAC), total bacteria, anions (inc. acids), cations (among others ammonium).

Examples of research methods: biosensor-based analyses of saliva samples, extractions of herbal sample materials, fractionations, dryness, bacterial breeding and DNA-based profiling and identification, yeast breeding, mammalian cell cultures, quantitative PCR, flow through cytometry, enzyme activity assays, taking and processing blood samples.

Learn more

Research Manager, Pekka Kilpeläinen, PhD

Tel. +358 294 488 111, firstname.surname (at) oulu.fi

CEMIS

CSC

University of Jyväskylä

Kajaani University Of Applied Sciences

VTT

Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (ABC)

Polli Horticultural Research Centre

Estonian Dairy Cluster

• Expert services in optical measurement technology
• Professional services in image measurement technology
• Study of electrochemical and optical sensors
• Cell cultures and microbial research
• Food research and biomass processing
• Measurements of biorefining
• Measurement technology for the paper and pulp industry
• Environmental measurement research
• Project services
• Information systems, wireless sensor networks and IoT
• Development/testing of measurement, control and machine vision systems (mechanics, electronics, software)
• Fine mechanics engineering services
• Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SFE, see what it means)
• Well-being (e.g. stress and nutrition)
• Smart agriculture (e.g. animal health & monitoring)

• Food analytics: phenolic compounds, fatty acids, proteins
• Microbial analysis (e.g. PCR and plate counting)
• Chromatographic Methods (HPLC-DAD/MSD/FD, GC-FID/MSD)
• Ion analytics (CE), e.g. sulfate, chloride, ammonium
• Visible light and fluorescence microscopy
• Fluorometer and spectrophotometer measurements (UV/VIS — MIR — NIR, refractive index)
• Treatment of samples using different laboratory techniques
• Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SFE)
• Contaminant assays (DNA contamination, DNase, RNase, endotoxin)
• Cell culture tests

MITY services for natural product, food, and cosmetic companies (PDF)

• Extraction methods
  • Conventional extractions with varying solvents and temperatures
  • Ultrasound assisted extraction
  • Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE, see what it means)
  • Soxhlet extraction
• Processing methods
  • Filtration methods
  • Drying methods
  • Fermentation
• Analysis
  • Chemical composition
    • Dry matter, ash, fiber
    • Nutrients
    • Sugars, organic acids, cations, anions
    • Phenolic compounds
    • Vitamins and other valuable compounds
  • Microbiology
    • Total microbial count
    • Identification of microbes
• Efficacy
  • Cell culture analysis
  • Antioxidant activity
  • Antimicrobial analysis
  • Enzyme activity
• Knowledge transfer
  • Literature reviews and project planning

Contact related to services:
Susanna Sonny
laboratory manager
susanna.sonny(a)oulu.fi
+358294488114

Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (ABC)

Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (ABC) is a collaboration between two technological universities (TUS https://tus.ie/ and MTU https://mtu.ie/) in the Southwest of Ireland which provides R&D services and solutions to Irish companies. Shannon ABC has an ongoing programme to explore natural products for novel bioactive substances of value for application in the Cosmetic, Food, Healthcare, Forensic, Pharmaceutical, Agricultural, Environmental, Diagnostic and Bio-Energy Industries. In Tralee they provide versatile cell culture analysis and in-vivo cosmetic efficacy testing. Shannon ABC has a reserve panel of approximately 100 volunteers that can be involved in efficacy testing of cosmetic products.

Services:

• Skin probe testing
  • Measurement of skin elasticity, hydration, moisturization and sebum
• 3D camera testing
  • Measurement of skin wrinkles, pigmentation, and texture etc.
• Cell culture analysis
  • Eg. skin, hair, muscle, gastrointestinal, and bacterial models
  • Cell culture analysis can be utilized in cytotoxicity tests, skin pigmentation, skin ageing, epidermial barrier function, inflammatory response, antioxidant activity, digestion and bioavailability and prebiotic studies etc.

More information: https://www.shannonabc.ie/

Polli Horticultural Research Centre

Polli Horticultural Research Centre of Estonian University of Life Sciences is located in South Estonia in Viljandi county with favourable soil and climate for fruit growing. The research priorities are breeding and cultivation of fruits and berries (apple, pear, plum, cherry, black currant and raspberry), plant protection, organic farming and full valorization of plant-based materials. In addition, the research center has recognized facilities for primary processing, and modern laboratories for pilot scale processing, analysis and product development of fruits, berries or other plant-origin materials.

Services:

• Counselling on the cultivars and cultivation technologies of fruits and berries
• Pilot-sclale processing of fruits and berries: juice processing, puree and jam production, dehydration processes (freeze drying, spray drying), oil extraction and production, green extraction methods (ultrasound-, microwave-, supercritical fluid extraction), homogenization, packaging etc.
• Qualitative and quantitative analyses of fruits and berries (spectrophotometric methods; UHPLC/MS; FTIR etc)
• Counselling on technological schemes and project writing

More information: https://polli.emu.ee/en

For more information, contact:
Susanna Sonny
laboratory manager
susanna.sonny(a)oulu.fi
+358294488114

The EIP-AGRI Operational Groups of Unit of Measurement Technology and Estonian Dairy Cluster have collaborated since 2018. In the operational groups challenges at farms and agriculture are solved together with farmers. The collaboration between Smartfeed project (Operational Group) of MITY and the Mavas project of the Estonian Dairy Cluster was the first example in Europe of the transnational collaboration between operational groups planned already in the application phase and has received international attention several times. The Smartfeed project was in May 2024 one of nominees for the European EIP-AGRI Innovation Awards in the category Livestock and Animal Welfare.

The collaboration has continued after the Smartfeed project in two other EIP-AGRI projects and the collaboration network has expanded to Estonian University of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich in Germany and Halmstad University in Sweden. Together with these partners, a study of the databases storing animal health and welfare data was carried out and the availability of the data and the possibilities for its utilization were investigated in the SustainIT project of the ERA-Net ICT Agrifood program.

With participation in new research calls, the collaboration network is still expanding in Central Europe. Due to their visibility and activity, the researchers of MITY have also acted as EU CAP and EIP AGRI experts in various events and activities.

The unit of measurement engineering operates at Kajaani University Consortium.

Visit address

Kehräämöntie 7

87400 Kajaani

Postal address

Oulun yliopiston Mittaustekniikan yksikkö

Teknologiapuisto PL 127

87400 Kajaani

The University of Oulu primarily accepts online invoices only.

Electronic billing:
OVT ID: 003702458955
Operator: CGI
Broker ID: 003703575029
Y ID: 0245895-5

Billing address:
University of Oulu
PL 771
00074 CGI

Reference: cost location number and person name or project number