Highly Sensitive Detection of Melamine Using a One-Step Sample Treatment Combined with a Portable Ag Nanostructure...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Materials Science

Background:

• Melamine contamination in animal feed poses significant risks to animal and human health.
• Existing detection methods are often time-consuming and require specialized laboratory equipment.
• There is a critical need for rapid, sensitive, and reliable analytical techniques for melamine detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a fast, simple, and sensitive method for determining melamine content in animal feed.
• To utilize surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with silver nanorod (AgNR) arrays for melamine detection.
• To establish a protocol suitable for rapid onsite screening and quality control.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of stable AgNR array substrates washed with HNO3 and methanol.
• Development of a one-step sample extraction procedure for animal feed.
• Utilizing SERS with a characteristic Raman shift (△ν = 682 cm-1) for melamine quantification.
• Validation against traditional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods.

Main Results:

• The SERS method demonstrated good linearity (R2 = 0.926) in the 2-200 μg·g-1 range.
• Achieved low limits of detection (0.9 μg·g-1) and quantification (2 μg·g-1).
• Reported high recovery rates (89.7-93.3%) and low coefficients of variation (<2.02%), indicating accuracy and precision.
• The entire detection process was completed in just 2 minutes.

Conclusions:

• The developed SERS method provides a rapid, sensitive, and accurate approach for melamine detection in animal feed.
• The AgNR array substrates exhibit good stability for practical applications.
• This protocol is highly suitable for rapid onsite screening, quality control, and market surveillance of melamine contamination.