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Published on: June 21, 2018
Headspace-SERS assay for early mildewing tobacco leaves
Jiaying Cao1, Zhiguo Wang2, Yuning Jiang1
1The Education Ministry Key Lab of Resource Chemistry, Joint International Research Laboratory of Resource Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Biomimetic Catalysis, School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234, China.
Early detection of moldy tobacco is crucial for quality and safety. A new headspace-surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) method using Si/AuAg chips rapidly identifies moldy tobacco by detecting specific volatile compounds.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Food Science
Background:
- Mold contamination in postharvest tobacco significantly degrades product quality and poses health risks.
- Early-stage mold growth on tobacco leaves is difficult to detect visually in industrial settings.
- Accurate and rapid detection methods are needed to ensure tobacco quality and safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, rapid, and on-site detection method for early-stage mold contamination in tobacco leaves.
- To utilize surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with gold-silver (AuAg) nanoalloys for sensitive detection of volatile mold metabolites.
- To establish reliable indicators for predicting mildew in tobacco based on SERS spectral analysis.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of silicon-based chips functionalized with self-assembled gold-silver (AuAg) nanoalloys (Si/AuAg chips).
- Development of a headspace-SERS protocol to capture and analyze volatile organic compounds released from tobacco.
- Spectroscopic analysis of volatile compounds, specifically 1,2-dichloro-3-methoxybenzene (2,3-DCA) and 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA), using characteristic SERS peaks.
Main Results:
- Successful detection of volatile compounds 2,3-DCA and 2,4,6-TCA released from postharvest tobacco using the headspace-SERS protocol.
- Identification of specific SERS peaks (1592 cm⁻¹, 1054 cm⁻¹, 1035 cm⁻¹) and intensity ratios indicative of early mold contamination within 10 minutes of headspace collection.
- Confirmation of mildew presence with the appearance of a SERS band at 682 cm⁻¹ (ν(CCl) of 2,4,6-TCA) after 2 hours of headspace collection.
Conclusions:
- The developed headspace-SERS protocol using Si/AuAg chips enables rapid and on-site detection of early-stage moldy tobacco.
- The method provides reliable indicators for predicting tobacco mildew, allowing for timely quality control.
- This approach offers a promising solution for monitoring tobacco quality during storage and processing using portable Raman systems.
