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Nanosensors for Food Contaminant Detection
Published in C. Anandharamakrishnan, S. Parthasarathi, Food Nanotechnology, 2019
Heera Jayan, L. Bhavani Devi, C. Anandharamakrishnan
Intentionally added chemicals include those added during processing to aid financial advantage by manufacturers. They include preservatives, colorants, artificial sweeteners, etc. More than 2,500 chemical substances can be added to improve the properties of food products (Branen et al., 2001). Some of the chemical substances are permitted in a food product in a certain safe level. If the amount is above the safe limit, the food is regarded as contaminated. Sibutramine (Sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate), a synthetic slimming drug, is added to herbal slimming foods and supplements to improve the claimed activity of the product (Liang et al., 2006). Additional intake of this drug leads to heart attack and strokes in human beings. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits the use of sibutramine in herbal slimming foods like green tea and green coffee. Some unscrupulous milk processors add hydrogen peroxide to milk products to reduce the microbial load, so as to give it a longer shelf life. Hydrogen peroxide causes cardiac arrhythmia and irritation in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Prolonged consumption leads to decreased life expectancy in humans (Gillilandet al., 1969).
Synthesis of gold nanorods with varied length-diameter ratios-applications using SERS for the detection of drugs
Published in Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology, 2021
Miao Qin, Xia Zhou, Jun Zhu, Mutian Ma, Hongyan Wang, Liangbao Yang
Gold nanorods with different aspect ratios were synthesized by controlling the concentration of silver nitrate employed during their preparation. The morphology and optical properties of the prepared gold nanorods were characterized by SEM and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Their performance as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates was tested using MG (10−7 M) as a molecular probe. The results indicated that gold nanorods prepared using 100 µL silver nitrate exhibited high sensitivity as SERS substrates. Furthermore, using self-assembled gold nanorods with different aspect ratios as SERS substrates, the remarkable detection of phenolphthalein and sibutramine hydrochloride was accomplished, with high reliability, accuracy, selectivity, and sensitivity as well as achievement of a good SERS signal. Therefore, the results confirmed the relevance of SERS technology for the rapid detection of illegal phenolphthalein contaminants and the presence of sibutramine hydrochloride in weight-loss healthcare products.