Development of a Sensitive SERS Method for Label-Free Detection of Hexavalent Chromium in Tea Using Carbimazole Redox...

Tea plants absorb chromium-contaminated soil and water and accumulate in tea leaves. Hexavalent chromium (Cr⁶⁺) is a very toxic heavy metal; excessive intake of tea containing Cr⁶⁺ can cause serious harm to human health. A reliable and sensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method was developed using Au@Ag nanoparticles as an enhanced substrate for the determination of Cr⁶⁺ in tea. The Au@AgNPs coated with carbimazole showed a highly selective reaction to Cr⁶⁺ in tea samples through a redox reaction between Cr⁶⁺ and carbimazole. The Cr⁶⁺ in the contaminated tea sample reacted with methimazole-the hydrolysate of carbimazole-to form disulfide, which led to the decrease in the Raman intensity of the peak at 595 cm^-1. The logarithm of the concentration of Cr⁶⁺ has a linear relationship with the Raman intensity at the characteristic peak and showed a limit of detection of 0.945 mg/kg for the tea sample. The carbimazole functionalized Au@AgNPs showed high selectivity in analyzing Cr⁶⁺ in tea samples, even in the presence of other metal ions. The SERS detection technique established in this study also showed comparable results with the standard ICP-MS method, indicating the applicability of the established technique in practical applications.