A Sensitive Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Method for Detecting Tetracycline in Milk

Area of Science:

• Food safety analysis
• Analytical chemistry
• Biosensing technologies

Background:

• Antibiotic residues, particularly tetracycline, in milk are a growing concern due to potential human health impacts and widespread agricultural use.
• Regulatory bodies worldwide are implementing stricter standards for antibiotic levels in dairy products.
• Traditional detection methods can be time-consuming and require complex sample preparation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, rapid, and sensitive method for detecting tetracycline residues in milk.
• To evaluate the efficacy of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) plasma cavities as a Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrate for tetracycline detection.
• To address the challenges associated with existing analytical techniques for antibiotic contaminants in dairy.

Main Methods:

• Utilized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) plasma cavities as a SERS substrate for analyzing milk samples.
• Investigated the influence of 4-amino-1-butanol and milk-tetracycline interactions on substrate performance.
• Employed SERS spectroscopy for quantitative analysis of tetracycline concentrations.

Main Results:

• The modified PDMS plasma cavity demonstrated high SERS sensitivity for tetracycline detection.
• Achieved a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.28 μg/L for tetracycline in milk.
• A high correlation coefficient (0.987) was obtained, indicating reliable quantification.
• The detection process was rapid, completed within 10 minutes.

Conclusions:

• PDMS plasma cavities serve as an effective SERS substrate for sensitive and rapid detection of tetracycline in milk.
• This method offers a promising solution for on-site monitoring of antibiotic residues in the dairy industry.
• The developed technique contributes to enhancing food safety and regulatory compliance.