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Detection of micro- and nanoplastic particles in leafy green vegetables by SERS coupled with gold-silver core–shell nanoparticles
Summary
Researchers developed a sensitive method using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with gold-silver nanoparticles to detect and quantify polystyrene and polyethylene micro- and nanoparticles in leafy green vegetables. The technique achieved detection limits as low as 12 mg/kg for polystyrene microparticles in spinach and kale, and could identify mixtures of different plastics at trace levels. The study highlights the potential of this approach for routine monitoring of plastic contamination in food products.
A sensitive and accurate method has been developed for detecting and quantifying polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE) in food samples using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with a simple preparation process. The method is designed to effectively detect and quantify mixtures of these polymers in varying ratios within the food matrix. By employing gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles (Au@Ag NPs) as the enhancing substrate, the SERS method demonstrated superior sensitivity in detecting trace amounts of micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNPs). For 1-µm PS microparticles, the limit of detection (LOD) values range from 12 to 50 mg/L or mg/kg in water, spinach, and kale, while for 100-nm PS nanoparticles, the LOD values range from 18 to 47 mg/L or mg/kg. For 1-µm PE microparticles, the LOD values range from 173 to 416 mg/L or mg/kg in the same matrices, whereas for 65-nm PE nanoparticles, the values range from 446 to 744 mg/L or mg/kg. The mixtures of PS and PE in varying ratios were also tested, with both plastics detectable even at trace levels, emphasizing the method's precision in detecting plastic contaminants. These findings highlight the potential of SERS as a powerful tool for monitoring MNP contamination in food products by detecting both individual plastics and their mixtures, enabling precise quantification of contamination and contributing to improved food safety.