A Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Thermal Sensor for the Selective Detection of Melamine in Milk Samples

Manlio Caldara; Joseph W Lowdon; Jeroen Royakkers; Marloes Peeters; Thomas J Cleij; Hanne Diliën; Kasper Eersels; Bart van Grinsven

doi:10.3390/foods11182906

A Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Thermal Sensor for the Selective Detection of Melamine in Milk Samples

Manlio Caldara^*, Joseph W Lowdon, Jeroen Royakkers, Marloes Peeters, Thomas J Cleij, Hanne Diliën, Kasper Eersels, Bart van Grinsven

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

In recent years, melamine-sensing technologies have increasingly gained attention, mainly due to the misuse of the molecule as an adulterant in milk and other foods. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are ideal candidates for the recognition of melamine in real-life samples. The prepared MIP particles were incorporated into a thermally conductive layer via micro-contact deposition and its response towards melamine was analyzed using the heat-transfer method (HTM). The sensor displayed an excellent selectivity when analyzing the thermal response to other chemicals commonly found in foods, and its applicability in food safety was demonstrated after evaluation in untreated milk samples, demonstrating a limit of detection of 6.02 μM. As the EU/US melamine legal limit in milk of 2.5 mg/kg falls within the linear range of the sensor, it can offer an innovative solution for routine screening of milk samples in order to detect adulteration with melamine. The results shown in this work thus demonstrate the great potential of a low-cost thermal platform for the detection of food adulteration in complex matrices.

Original language	English
Article number	2906
Number of pages	12
Journal	Foods
Volume	11
Issue number	18
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182906
Publication status	Published - 19 Sept 2022

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10.3390/foods11182906Licence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{7088662003dd428db788b8ad2aae0428,

title = "A Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Thermal Sensor for the Selective Detection of Melamine in Milk Samples",

abstract = "In recent years, melamine-sensing technologies have increasingly gained attention, mainly due to the misuse of the molecule as an adulterant in milk and other foods. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are ideal candidates for the recognition of melamine in real-life samples. The prepared MIP particles were incorporated into a thermally conductive layer via micro-contact deposition and its response towards melamine was analyzed using the heat-transfer method (HTM). The sensor displayed an excellent selectivity when analyzing the thermal response to other chemicals commonly found in foods, and its applicability in food safety was demonstrated after evaluation in untreated milk samples, demonstrating a limit of detection of 6.02 μM. As the EU/US melamine legal limit in milk of 2.5 mg/kg falls within the linear range of the sensor, it can offer an innovative solution for routine screening of milk samples in order to detect adulteration with melamine. The results shown in this work thus demonstrate the great potential of a low-cost thermal platform for the detection of food adulteration in complex matrices.",

author = "Manlio Caldara and Lowdon, {Joseph W} and Jeroen Royakkers and Marloes Peeters and Cleij, {Thomas J} and Hanne Dili{\"e}n and Kasper Eersels and {van Grinsven}, Bart",

note = "Funding Information: The authors thank the European Regional Development Fund for supporting this project through the Saber Print project, funded by the Interreg VA Deutschland-Nederland program, grant number 144277. This cross-border research was also supported by the Interreg Euregion Meuse-Rhine, project “Food Screening EMR” (EMR159), funded by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 by the authors.",

year = "2022",

month = sep,

day = "19",

doi = "10.3390/foods11182906",

language = "English",

volume = "11",

journal = "Foods",

issn = "2304-8158",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - A Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Thermal Sensor for the Selective Detection of Melamine in Milk Samples

AU - Caldara, Manlio

AU - Lowdon, Joseph W

AU - Royakkers, Jeroen

AU - Peeters, Marloes

AU - Cleij, Thomas J

AU - Diliën, Hanne

AU - Eersels, Kasper

AU - van Grinsven, Bart

N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank the European Regional Development Fund for supporting this project through the Saber Print project, funded by the Interreg VA Deutschland-Nederland program, grant number 144277. This cross-border research was also supported by the Interreg Euregion Meuse-Rhine, project “Food Screening EMR” (EMR159), funded by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.

PY - 2022/9/19

Y1 - 2022/9/19

N2 - In recent years, melamine-sensing technologies have increasingly gained attention, mainly due to the misuse of the molecule as an adulterant in milk and other foods. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are ideal candidates for the recognition of melamine in real-life samples. The prepared MIP particles were incorporated into a thermally conductive layer via micro-contact deposition and its response towards melamine was analyzed using the heat-transfer method (HTM). The sensor displayed an excellent selectivity when analyzing the thermal response to other chemicals commonly found in foods, and its applicability in food safety was demonstrated after evaluation in untreated milk samples, demonstrating a limit of detection of 6.02 μM. As the EU/US melamine legal limit in milk of 2.5 mg/kg falls within the linear range of the sensor, it can offer an innovative solution for routine screening of milk samples in order to detect adulteration with melamine. The results shown in this work thus demonstrate the great potential of a low-cost thermal platform for the detection of food adulteration in complex matrices.

AB - In recent years, melamine-sensing technologies have increasingly gained attention, mainly due to the misuse of the molecule as an adulterant in milk and other foods. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are ideal candidates for the recognition of melamine in real-life samples. The prepared MIP particles were incorporated into a thermally conductive layer via micro-contact deposition and its response towards melamine was analyzed using the heat-transfer method (HTM). The sensor displayed an excellent selectivity when analyzing the thermal response to other chemicals commonly found in foods, and its applicability in food safety was demonstrated after evaluation in untreated milk samples, demonstrating a limit of detection of 6.02 μM. As the EU/US melamine legal limit in milk of 2.5 mg/kg falls within the linear range of the sensor, it can offer an innovative solution for routine screening of milk samples in order to detect adulteration with melamine. The results shown in this work thus demonstrate the great potential of a low-cost thermal platform for the detection of food adulteration in complex matrices.

U2 - 10.3390/foods11182906

DO - 10.3390/foods11182906

M3 - Article

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SN - 2304-8158

VL - 11

JO - Foods

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