Reduced Graphene Oxide Modified Electrodes for Sensitive Sensing of Gliadin in Food Samples

Incidences of food allergies are on the rise, which can greatly affect the well-being of children as well as adults. Intolerance to gluten, a protein composite of gliadin and glutenin, present in wheat, barley, and rye and several cereals, can be the causative agent of celiac disease (CD) and other allergic reactions. A gluten-free diet has become essential for people affected by CD, and consequently, the amount of gluten in food products needs to be strictly controlled. In this paper, we report an electrochemical label-free immunosensor for ultrasensitive and specific detection of gliadin. The sensor takes advantage of the specific properties of porous reduced graphene oxide (prGO) covalently functionalized with anti-gliadin antibodies using 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid as linker molecule. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and [Fe(CN)6](3-/4-) as a redox probe, a decrease of current is linked to the presence of gliadin. The sensor achieved a detection limit of 1.2 ng mL(-1) over a 1.2-34 ng mL(-1) linear range with high selectivity. The advantages offered by this sensor are the possibility to regenerate the surface of the immunosensor, its rapid and ease of production, as well as applicability for the screening of gliadin concentrations in real food samples, as shown here.