An oxidase-like nanozyme-based sensor array for the specific detection and discrimination of catechins

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Catechins are important natural products found in food with various health benefits.
• Accurate identification and discrimination of different catechins are crucial for food quality control and safety.
• Existing methods for catechin analysis can be complex and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a nanozyme-based sensor array for the identification and discrimination of three specific catechins: catechin, epicatechin, and epigallocatechin.
• To synthesize a novel nanozyme with oxidase-like activity for signal generation.
• To validate the sensor array's performance in real food samples.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Fc@ZIF-67 NC nanozyme via high-temperature carbonization of ferrocene-encapsulated ZIF-67, exhibiting oxidase-like activity.
• Design of two Fc@ZIF-67 NC-involved oxidase-like reactions to generate distinct colorimetric and fluorescent signals.
• Utilizing linear discriminant analysis (LDA) for signal processing and catechin discrimination based on generated fingerprints.

Main Results:

• The developed sensor array successfully generated unique signal fingerprints for each of the three catechins.
• The combination of the sensor array and LDA enabled accurate discrimination of different types and concentrations of catechins.
• The sensor array demonstrated feasibility for identifying catechins in real food samples.

Conclusions:

• A novel nanozyme-based sensor array offers a promising methodology for distinguishing and identifying catechins.
• This approach provides an efficient and accurate tool for analyzing natural products in food.
• The developed sensor system has significant potential for applications in food science and quality assessment.