Study of Oxytetracycline Using Chitosan-Modified Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Combined With...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Oxytetracycline (OTC) residues in food pose health risks due to potential bioaccumulation.
• Sensitive detection methods are crucial for monitoring OTC contamination in food products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for sensitive detection of trace oxytetracycline (OTC) residues in food.
• To create and characterize oxytetracycline magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (OTC-MMIPs) for enhanced adsorption and detection.

Main Methods:

• Surface imprinting technology was used to synthesize OTC-MMIPs using Fe3O4@SiO2 core and chitosan modification.
• OTC-MMIPs were combined with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to form OTC-MMIPs@AuNPs composite.
• Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was employed for sensitive OTC detection.

Main Results:

• The OTC-MMIPs exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 44.58 mg g⁻¹ with good reusability (7% capacity decrease after four cycles).
• The OTC-MMIPs@AuNPs composite coupled with SERS achieved a low detection limit of 6.67 × 10⁻¹² M for OTC.
• The method demonstrated high recovery rates (91.73%–96.22%) in pure milk samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed OTC-MMIPs@AuNPs composite and SERS method offer a feasible and highly sensitive approach for detecting OTC residues in food matrices.
• This technology holds significant potential for ensuring food safety and protecting public health from antibiotic contamination.