A Nanozymatic-Mediated Smartphone Colorimetric Sensing Platform for the Detection of Dimethyl Phthalate (DMP) and Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Plasticizers are a type of toxic substance that may remain in food, posing significant health risks including carcinogenic, teratogenic, mutagenic, and other adverse effects. In this study, a novel strategy was employed by combining Pt@Au nanozymes with high catalytic properties to created two catalytic signal probes, designated as Pt@Au@Ab1 and Pt@Au@Ab2, specifically designed for the detection of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). These catalytic signal probes served as the foundation for the development of a colorimetric immunoassay, enabling the simultaneous detection of both DMP and DBP. The colorimetric immunoassay is capable of detecting DMP in the range of 0.5-100 mu g/L with a limit of detection as low as 0.1 mu g/L and DBP in the range of 1-32 mu g/L with a low limit of detection of 0.5 mu g/L. The developed immunoassay can be used for the determination of the DMP and DBP in baijiu and plastic bottled drinks. The recovery rate is in the range of 96.4% and 100.5% and the coefficient of variation is between 1.0% and 7.2%. This innovative colorimetric immunoassay offers a robust tool for the simultaneous quantification of DMP and DBP in real samples.

Automated summary

A novel colorimetric immunoassay was developed using Pt@Au nanozymes and catalytic signal probes for the simultaneous detection of DMP and DBP. The method showed high sensitivity and accuracy and can be applied for quantitative analysis of DMP and DBP in baijiu and plastic bottled drinks.