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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

A Filter-based Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Assay for Rapid Detection of Chemical Contaminants
Published on: February 19, 2016
Direct Detection of Toxic Contaminants in Minimally Processed Food Products Using Dendritic Surface-Enhanced Raman
Hannah Dies1, Maria Siampani2, Carlos Escobedo3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada. 9hed@queensu.ca.
Abstract:
We present a method for the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based detection of toxic contaminants in minimally processed liquid food products, through the use of a dendritic silver nanostructure, produced through electrokinetic assembly of nanoparticles from solution. The dendritic nanostructure is produced on the surface of a microelectrode chip, connected to an AC field with an imposed DC bias. We apply this chip for the detection of thiram, a toxic fruit pesticide, in apple juice, to a limit of detection of 115 ppb, with no sample preprocessing. We also apply the chip for the detection of melamine, a toxic contaminant/food additive, to a limit of detection of 1.5 ppm in milk and 105 ppb in infant formula. All the reported limits of detection are below the recommended safe limits in food products, rendering this technique useful as a screening method to identify liquid food with hazardous amounts of toxic contaminants.
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