Rapid detection of picloram in agricultural field samples using a disposable immunomembrane-based electrochemical sensor

Picloram, a widely used chlorinated herbicide, is quite persistent and mobile in soil and water with adverse health and environmental effects. It is essential to establish a rapid and sensitive method for accurate detection of trace picloram in agricultural samples. We employed a disposable, nontoxic, and conductive chitosan/gold nanoparticles composite membrane on electrochemical sensor for the sensitive detection of picloram in several agricultural field samples. A self-synthesized picloram antibody was encapsulated in the immunomembrane to form an immunoconjugate by a competitive immunoreaction in sample solution, followed by the immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled secondary antibody. The immunomembrane possessed good reproducibility for fabrication in batch, providing a congenial microenvironment for the immune molecules. The diffused colloidal Au nanoparticles shuttled the electron transfer between the immobilized HRP and the electrode surface. To demonstrate the suitability of the immunosensor for on-site detection, rice, lettuce, and paddy field water were spiked with picloram and assayed without preconcentration. Under optimal conditions, picloram could be detected in the range from 0.005 to 10 mu g/mL with the correlation coefficient of 0.9937, and the detection limit is 5 ng/mL. The proposed immunosensor exhibited good precision, sensitivity, selectivity, and storage stability.