Journal Article

Direct Detection of Toxic Contaminants in Minimally Processed Food Products Using Dendritic Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrates

Dies, Hannah, Escobedo, Carlos, Siampani, Maria, Docoslis, Aristides

2018

Overview

We present a method for the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based detection of toxic contaminants in minimally processed liquid food products, through the use of a dendritic silver nanostructure, produced through electrokinetic assembly of nanoparticles from solution. The dendritic nanostructure is produced on the surface of a microelectrode chip, connected to an AC field with an imposed DC bias. We apply this chip for the detection of thiram, a toxic fruit pesticide, in apple juice, to a limit of detection of 115 ppb, with no sample preprocessing. We also apply the chip for the detection of melamine, a toxic contaminant/food additive, to a limit of detection of 1.5 ppm in milk and 105 ppb in infant formula. All the reported limits of detection are below the recommended safe limits in food products, rendering this technique useful as a screening method to identify liquid food with hazardous amounts of toxic contaminants.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Animals / Baby foods / Chromatography / Food Contamination - analysis / Food products / food quality monitoring / Food safety / Fruit and Vegetable Juices - analysis / Fruit juices / Humans / Laboratories / Limit of Detection / Malus / Mass spectrometry / melamine / Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry / Methods / Microscopy / Milk / Milk - chemistry / Nanoparticles / pesticides / Processed foods / Scientific imaging / Semiconductors / Silicon wafers / Silver - chemistry / Spectrum Analysis, Raman - methods / surface-enhanced Raman scattering / thiram / Thiram - analysis / Triazines - analysis