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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Characterization and Interventions for Foodborne Pathogens » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417256
Research Project: Development of Innovative Technologies and Strategies to Mitigate Biological, Chemical, Physical, and Environmental Threats to Food Safety

Location: Characterization and Interventions for Foodborne Pathogens

Title: A smartphone-integrated aptasensor for pesticide detection using gold-decorated microparticles

Author
item ULLOA-GOMEZ, ANA - Purdue University
item WAIMAN, JOSE - Purdue University
item YU, YA-CHING - Purdue University
item LUCAS, ALEC - Purdue University
item STANCIU, LIA - Purdue University

Submitted to: Microchimica Acta
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/7/2024
Publication Date: 3/12/2024
Citation: Ulloa-Gomez, A.M., Waiman, J.F., Yu, Y., Lucas, A., Stanciu, L.A. 2024. A smartphone-integrated aptasensor for pesticide detection using gold-decorated microparticles. Microchimica Acta. 191(194). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-024-06255-x.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-024-06255-x

Interpretive Summary: Pesticide contamination in agricultural settings poses significant health risks and environmental damage, with negative impacts on public health when these chemicals enter the food supply. To address this issue, ARS-funded scientist from the Purdue University Center for Food Safety Engineering have developed a new portable device that can rapidly and efficiently detect pesticides using a smartphone-integrated aptasensor. This sensor is designed to detect imidacloprid and carbendazim, two commonly used pesticides, with high sensitivity and specificity. The device uses colorimetric analysis and smartphone technology to provide a user-friendly, on-site detection method. It allows the detection of pesticide levels in real-world samples, such as water from soybean crop irrigation, demonstrating robust performance with high recovery rates. Integrating smartphone-based image analysis enables the device to collect and share real-time data and minimize false results. This is a tool that has a compact and portable design, making it suitable for on-site testing to mitigate pesticide contamination risks.

Technical Abstract: The increasing incidence of environmental concerns related to excessive use of pesticides, such as imidacloprid and carbendazim, poses risks to pollinators, water bodies, and human health, prompting regulatory scrutiny and bans in developed countries. In this study, we propose a portable smartphone-based biosensor for rapid and label-free colorimetric detection by using the gold-decorated polystyrene microparticles (Ps-AuNP) functionalized with specific aptamers to imidacloprid and carbendazim on a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (micro-PAD). Four aptamers were selected for the detection of these pesticides and their sensitivity and selectivity performance was evaluated. The sensitivity results show a detection limit for imidacloprid of 3.12 ppm and 1.56 ppm for carbendazim. The aptamers also exhibited high selectivity performance against other pesticides, such as thiamethoxam, fenamiphos, isoproturon, and atrazine. However, the platform presented cross-selectivity when detecting imidacloprid, carbendazim, and linuron, which is discussed herein. Overall, we present a promising platform for simple, on-site, and rapid colorimetric screening of specific pesticides, while highlighting the challenges of aptasensors in achieving selectivity amidst diverse molecular structures.