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Published on: November 17, 2023
Direct chiral-selective detection of (3S,3'S)-astaxanthin using hydrogel-based SERS chips
Liru Liu1, Ping Cheng1, Yingxiao Xiao1
1MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, PR China.
Food Chemistry
|August 1, 2026
Summary
A new hydrogel-based SERS chip enables precise detection of (3S,3
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Accurate chiral-selective detection of (3S,3'S)-astaxanthin ((3S,3'S)-AST) is crucial due to its physiological activity.
- Conventional detection methods have limitations, and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has not been widely applied for chiral analysis of natural products.
- Existing methods struggle with specificity and sensitivity for complex biological matrices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel chiral-selective hydrogel-based SERS chip for specific and sensitive detection of (3S,3'S)-AST.
- To investigate the synergistic effect of hydrogel matrix and silver nanocages for enhanced SERS performance.
- To validate the chip's performance in real-world samples like algae and yeast.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a chiral-selective hydrogel chip by immobilizing aggregated silver nanocages (a-AgNCs) within a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel.
- Utilizing the hydrogel for selective adsorption of (3S,3'S)-AST and a-AgNCs for SERS signal enhancement.
- Assessing chip stability, linear response range, and detection limits; validating with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
Main Results:
- The developed hydrogel-based SERS chip demonstrated excellent stability and sensitivity for (3S,3'S)-AST detection.
- A semi-logarithmic linear response was observed for (3S,3'S)-AST concentrations ranging from 0.5-500 ng/g.
- Practical application confirmed the absence of (3S,3'S)-AST in Phaffia rhodozyma yeast and provided results consistent with HPLC for Haematococcus pluvialis.
Conclusions:
- The chiral-selective hydrogel-based SERS chip offers a rapid, reliable, and sensitive method for detecting (3S,3'S)-AST.
- This work expands the application of SERS technology in the chiral analysis of food-related natural products.
- The developed sensing platform shows potential for quality control and authentication of natural products.
