Highly Sensitive Detection of Melamine Using a One-Step Sample Treatment Combined with a Portable Ag Nanostructure Array SERS Sensor

PLoS One. 2016 Apr 27;11(4):e0154402. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154402. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

There is an urgent need for rapid and reliable methods able to detect melamine in animal feed. In this study, a quick, simple, and sensitive method for the determination of melamine content in animal feed was developed using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on fabricated Ag nanorod (AgNR) array substrates with a one-step sample extraction procedure. The AgNR array substrates washed by HNO3 solvent (10-7 M) and methanol and showed the good stability within 6 months. The Raman shift at △ν = 682 cm-1 was used as the characteristic melamine peak in the calculations. Sufficient linearity was obtained in the 2-200 μg·g-1 range (R2 = 0.926). The limits of detection and quantification were 0.9 and 2 μg·g-1, respectively. The recovery rates were 89.7-93.3%, with coefficients of variation below 2.02%. The method showed good accuracy compared with the tradition GC-MS analysis. This new protocol only need 2 min to fininsh the detection which could be developed for rapid onsite screening of melamine contamination in quality control and market surveillance applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animal Feed / analysis*
  • Animals
  • Chemistry Techniques, Analytical*
  • Food Contamination / analysis
  • Gold / chemistry
  • Limit of Detection
  • Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Methanol
  • Nanotubes / chemistry
  • Resins, Synthetic / analysis*
  • Solvents
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman / methods
  • Triazines / analysis*

Substances

  • Resins, Synthetic
  • Solvents
  • Triazines
  • Gold
  • melamine
  • Methanol

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the innovation project for the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (http://www.caas.cn/kjcxgczl/index.shtml). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.