A rapid Raman detection of deoxynivalenol in agricultural products

Mycotoxin results in financial damage and considerable safety risks. In this paper, the possibility of portable Raman system-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for a rapid detection of deoxynivalenol (DON) a mycotoxin in cereals was investigated. Under an optimized condition, SERS analysis for pure DON solution has a wide dynamic concentration range from 10 (7) M to 10 (2) M with the limit of detection (LOD) down to 100 nM. Density functional theory (DFT) analysis at the level of B3LYP/6-311 ++ G(d, p) was also preformed for vibrational assignment. For practical application, the LOD of the proposed Raman method for both DON-contaminated corns and kidney beans were validated as 10 (6) M and the LOD for DON-contaminated oats was 10 (4) M. As a perspective, the SERS-based technology could be developed into an alternatively promising assay for on-field detection of DON residues at various cereals due to it high sensitivity and selectivity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.