A zearalenone detection based on molecularly imprinted surface plasmon resonance sensor including sulfur-doped g-C3N4/Bi2S3 nanocomposite

In present work, a zearalenone detection based on molecularly imprinted surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor including sulfur-doped g-C3N4/Bi2S3 (S-g-C3N4/Bi2S3) nanocomposite was presented for selective determination of zearalenone (ZEA) in rice grain samples. After S-g-C3N4/Bi2S3 nanocomposite was synthesized by calcination method with high purity and in accordance with green chemistry, ZEA imprinted SPR chip based on S-g-C3N4/Bi2S3 was prepared in presence of methacryloylamidoglutamicacid (MAGA) as monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross linker, N,N & PRIME;-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator and ZEA as target molecule by using UV polymerization. Then, the spectroscopic, microscopic and electrochemical methods were used for the characterizations of the nanocomposite and the proposed ZEA imprinted SPR chip based on S-gC3N4/Bi2S3. The SPR sensor showed a linearity towards ZEA in range of 1.0 - 10.0 ng/L with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.33 ng/L. Thus, the developed sensor's high repeatability, stability, reproducibility and selectivity provided reliable ZEA determination in rice grain samples, ensuring safe food consumption.

Automated summary

In this study, a selective detection method for zearalenone (ZEA) in rice grain samples was developed using a molecularly imprinted surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor with sulfur-doped g-C3N4/Bi2S3 (S-g-C3N4/Bi2S3) nanocomposite. The S-g-C3N4/Bi2S3 nanocomposite was synthesized with high purity and green chemistry principles, followed by the preparation of the ZEA-imprinted SPR chip using UV polymerization. The developed SPR sensor exhibited linearity towards ZEA in the range of 1.0 - 10.0 ng/L with a detection limit of 0.33 ng/L. This sensor allows for reliable determination of ZEA in rice grain samples, ensuring food safety.