Copper Electrodes Modified with Gold Nanoparticles Detect Two Hazardous Contaminants (As, Cd) in Raw Milk

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Nanomaterials Science
• Food Safety Analysis

Background:

• Milk contamination by heavy metals (HM) like lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium is a global health concern.
• Contaminants enter milk via water or pasteurization processes.
• Current detection methods require improvement for efficiency and specificity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel sensor for detecting heavy metal contaminants in milk.
• To utilize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on copper (Cu) electrodes for enhanced detection.
• To analyze current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for contaminant identification.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of copper electrodes modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).
• Characterization of AuNPs using UV-Vis spectrophotometry and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD).
• Analysis of I-V characteristics of the modified electrodes with milk supernatant containing varying concentrations of heavy metals.

Main Results:

• AuNPs on Cu electrodes showed enhanced conductivity and a linear I-V trend.
• A significant current gain was observed in milk samples spiked with heavy metals.
• The sensor demonstrated preliminary detection capabilities for arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd).

Conclusions:

• The AuNP-modified Cu electrode system shows promise for detecting heavy metal ions in milk.
• Varying current gains correlate with different concentrations and types of heavy metals.
• The method offers specific insights for targeting arsenic and cadmium contamination in milk.