Protecting consumers against food contamination

摘要

Contamination of food is a global problem, whether it is done intentionally for profit or accidentally through negligence, the end result is the same -consumers pay the price. The problem of food contamination can be addressed with complex analytical laboratory techniques such as GC-MS and HPLC, but time, skill, and cost requirements limit their usage to the confines of well-equipped laboratories. Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) - an extension of Raman spectroscopy - permits detection and identification of analytes in concentrations as low as parts per billion. Food analysis with SERS can be fast, convenient, and inexpensive. SERS utilises nanotechnology with Raman spectroscopy to enable trace detection of adsorbed molecules. When a sample is applied to Metrohm's SERS material, the nanostructures generate millions of times enhancement to Raman scattering, and detection of trace-levels of analytes is readily achievable. SERS is an extremely attractive technique as it retains all of the appealing features of Raman - portable equipment, multi-analyte detection capabilities, and rapid analysis.