Determination of hydrogen peroxide residues in aseptically packaged beverages using an amperometric sensor based on a palladium electrode

Chemically renewable SERS sensor for the inspection of H2O2 residue in food stuff

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) residue in foodstuffs will bring great harm to human health. We immobilize the composite of the reduced polyaniline (PANIR) modified gold nanoparticles on the surface of ITO (ITO/AuNPs/PANIR) to develop surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor for H2O2.detection. The principle is that PANIR is oxidized by H2O2 to generate a new SERS peak at 1460 cm-1 for realizing quantitative analysis of H2O2. Fe2+-Fenton reaction is introduced to catalytically react with H2O2 to hydroxyl radical, which speeds up the oxidation of PANIR. Before SERS detection, acidic treatment could guarantee the reduced state of PANIR in composite. Limit of detection of ITO/AuNPs/PANIR-based SERS assay for H2O2 is down to 1.78 × 10-12 mol/L and a good linear relationship from 1 × 10-10 to 3.16 × 10-7 mol/L is achieved. Furthermore, the SERS sensor could be regenerated by acidic treatment. As a scenario, the renewable SERS sensor is utilized to monitor H2O2 residues in food and environmental samples.

Ferrocene-Grafted Carbon Nanotubes for Sensitive Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide

Sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) residue in aseptic packaging at point of use is critical to food safety. We present a sensitive non-enzymatic, amperometric H₂O₂ sensor based on ferrocene-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-FeC) and facile screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). The sensor utilizes the covalently grafted ferrocene as an effective redox mediator and the MWCNT networks to provide a large active surface area for efficient electrocatalytic reactions. The electrocatalytic MWCNT-FeC modified electrodes feature a high-efficiency electron transfer and a high electrocatalytic activity towards H₂O₂ reduction at a low potential of -0.15 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The decreased operating potential improves the selectivity by inherently eliminating the cross-reactivity with other electroactive interferents, such as dopamine, glucose, and ascorbic acid. The sensor exhibits a wide linear detection range from 1 μM to 1 mM with a detection limit of 0.49 μM (S/N=3). The covalently functionalized electrodes offered highly reproducible and reliable detection, providing a robust property for continuous, real-time H₂O₂ monitoring. Furthermore, the proposed sensor was successfully employed to determine H₂O₂ levels in spiked packaged milk and apple juice with satisfactory recoveries (94.33-97.62%). The MWCNT-FeC modified SPCEs offered a facile, cost-effective method for highly sensitive and selective point-of-use detection of H₂O₂.

Biosensors-based approaches for other viral infection detection

Contamination and infection due to viruses are one of the major reasons for diseases amounting to hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. In recent years, several novels and reemerging viral diseases have seen an outstanding rise in occurrence like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which has arguably altered the socioeconomic strata and also pointed out the shortcomings in medical biology and diagnostics at a global scale. The overwhelming burden of global infection numbers exceeded expectations from federal healthcare programs and medical facilities. The current situation pointed out that the cost of reliable tests is disproportionately high in case of frequent repetition of tests on one person. Also, the speed of distribution, implementation, and evaluation of tests are unsatisfactory in the current situation, both technically and logistically. Viruses are nonliving obligate parasites and require living host cells to replicate and propagate. Due to their error-prone replication mechanism and fast mutations, the protective layers and mechanisms change quickly, thus helping them to evade immune reactions in the host cell. This has led to reemergence and also establishing new virus strains. Medicinal biology and conventional diagnostic practices are now facing a challenging task to upkeep with the pace of these occurrences. Therefore to improve the quality of detection and to help in the reduction of cost, major advancements are required in the detection techniques to better prepare the healthcare system for a similar novel virus infection in the future.

Combination of high-intensity ultrasound and hydrogen peroxide treatment suppresses thermal aggregation behaviour of myofibrillar protein in water

This study was aimed at evaluating the potential of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU, 450 W for 10 min) combined with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) having various concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 μmol/g protein) to inhibit the thermal aggregation behavior of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) in water. The results indicated that the addition of H₂O₂ interfered with the intermolecular sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange and inhibited the disulfide bond cross-linking. The H₂O₂-mediated conversion of cysteine to thiol derivatives appeared to be the primary mechanism of this effect. The HIU combined with H₂O₂, especially at the H₂O₂ concentration of 200 μmol/g, corresponded to a more significant inhibitory effect than that of only H₂O₂, which attributed to the dissociation of the filamentous myosin structure that led to an enhanced accessibility of the buried sulfhydryl groups. In conclusion, these findings provide direct evidence for the role of HIU combined with H₂O₂ in improving the thermal stability of MPs.

The Effect of Synthesis Procedure on Hydrogen Peroxidase-Like Catalytic Activity of Iron Oxide Magnetic Particles

A comparative study was carried out using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for the fabrication of non-enzymatic sensors for the continuous and rapid detection and monitoring of H2O2. Various MNPs, differing in terms of their synthesis procedure and modification, were synthesized and characterized by different techniques. The electrochemical catalytic activity of the synthesized MNPs toward the reduction in H2O2 was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The naked MNPs showed the highest catalytic activity among all the synthesized MNPs. The biosensor based on the naked MNPs was then applied in the determination of H2O2 using chronoamperometry. The parameters such as the applied cathodic potential and the amount of MNPs on the developed biosensor were optimized. Moreover, the analytical figures of merit, including reproducibility (RSD = 6.14%), sensitivity (m = 0.0676 µA µM−1), limit of detection (LOD) = 27.02 µmol L−1, and limit of quantification (LOQ) = 89.26 µmol L−1 of the developed biosensor indicate satisfactory analysis. Finally, MNPs were successfully utilized for the determination of H2O2 in milk.

Encapsulated catalase from Serratia genus for H2O2 decomposition in food applications

The recombinant catalase isolated from a psychrotolerant microorganism belonging to Serratia genus exhibits a high activity in a wide range of pH. Due to a great catalytic potential in operational conditions, it can be used in various industrial applications whereby it acts as a hydrogen peroxide scavenger. To reduce the cost of biocatalyst the enzyme encapsulation into a hydrogel structure was proposed. The obtained results showed a high activity of encapsulated catalase in acidic conditions (pH in range 4.4 - 6.6) and at low temperatures (6-15°C). Moreover, immobilized catalase exhibited a high stability in natural media, especially in milk. Its activity during peroxide decomposition in milk, the possibility of re-using, as well as the fixed bed reactor performance confirmed wide application possibilities. High values of enzyme and substrate concentrations led to the beads burst due to rapid oxygen diffusion from the capsules, thus they are limited.

Electrochemical Sensing of Hydrogen Peroxide Using Block Copolymer Templated Iron Oxide Nanopatterns

A new enzyme-free sensor based on iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanodots fabricated on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate via a block copolymer template was developed for highly sensitive and selective detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The self-assembly-based process described here for Fe₃O₄ formation is a simple, cost-effective, and reproducible process. The H₂O₂ response of the fabricated electrodes was linear from 2.5 × 10^-3 to 6.5 mM with a sensitivity of 191.6 μA mM^-1cm^-2 and a detection limit of 1.1 × 10^-3 mM. The electrocatalytic activity of Fe₃O₄ nanodots toward the electroreduction of H₂O₂ was described by cyclic voltammetric and amperometric techniques. The sensor described here has a strong anti-interference ability to a variety of common biological and inorganic substances.

Immobilization on Metal-Organic Framework Engenders High Sensitivity for Enzymatic Electrochemical Detection

The protection effect of metal-organic framework (MOF) provides high stability for immobilized enzyme. The small cavities of MOFs, however, usually result in decreased apparent substrate affinity and enzymatic activity of immobilized enzyme, compared to native enzyme. We synthesized zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) with a combination of mesoporous and microporous channels for cytochrome c (Cyt c) immobilization. Compared with native Cyt c, the immobilized Cyt c displayed increased apparent substrate affinity (Michaelis constant K_m reduced by ∼50%), ∼128% increased enzymatic activity, and 1.4-fold increased sensitivity in the enzymatic electrochemical detection of H₂O₂. The immobilized Cyt c-coated screen-printed electrode was applied for the fast detection of residual H₂O₂ in microliter food samples such as milk and beer, making it promising for the development of efficient biosensors.

Catalase-Based Modified Graphite Electrode for Hydrogen Peroxide Detection in Different Beverages

A catalase-based (NAF/MWCNTs) nanocomposite film modified glassy carbon electrode for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detection was developed. The developed biosensor was characterized in terms of its bioelectrochemical properties. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique was employed to study the redox features of the enzyme in the absence and in the presence of nanomaterials dispersed in Nafion® polymeric solution. The electron transfer coefficient, α, and the electron transfer rate constant, ks , were found to be 0.42 and 1.71 s-1, at pH 7.0, respectively. Subsequently, the same modification steps were applied to mesoporous graphite screen-printed electrodes. Also, these electrodes were characterized in terms of their main electrochemical and kinetic parameters. The biosensor performances improved considerably after modification with nanomaterials. Moreover, the association of Nafion with carbon nanotubes retained the biological activity of the redox protein. The enzyme electrode response was linear in the range 2.5-1150 μmol L-1, with LOD of 0.83 μmol L-1. From the experimental data, we can assess the possibility of using the modified biosensor as a useful tool for H2O2 determination in packaged beverages.

AgAuPt nanocages for highly sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide

AgAuPt hybrid nanocages modified electrode showed high sensitivity for the detection of hydrogen peroxide.