Project name: Detection system for harmful food additive: monosodium glutamate
Acronym: DESYRE
Contract no. 270 / 01.10.2015
Project code: PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-0976
Program: Human Resources
Project type: Research projects for the stimulation of the forming of young independent research teams
Project director: Andreea Matei
Coordinator: National Institute for Lasers, Plasma, and Radiation Physics
Financing Authority: Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI)
Project summary:
Nowadays, a strong research effort is devoted to avoid eating food with harmful additives and to inform people about the side effects of these additives used in food industry. Consumers should be aware about what they buy and they should feel safe about the food they eat.
There is a continuous and increasing need of simple detection systems, new solutions and active materials in order to identify the harmful elements or elements exceeding the limit amount in food and beverages.
The aim of the Desyre project is to develop a detection system with high sensitivity and low detection limit for the harmful additive: monosodium glutamate MSG (additive number 621). The device developed by Desyre project will be based on voltammetric sensing. The working electrode will be layered double hydroxides thin films prepared by laser techniques grown on platinum coated isolator.
The project will investigate the possibility and the costs for making the device a portable system. The main goal of the project is to grow crystalline layered double hydroxides as thin films, using laser based deposition. Desyre project comes to fulfil the miniaturization tendency by finding alternative methods to fabricate the active sensing material of the detector.
General objectives: The
Desyre project aim is to develop a detection system with high sensitivity and
low detection limit for the harmful additives using as test additive monosodium
glutamate.
First stage - 31.12.2015 (click
for the scientific report)
Establishing the combination of food additive MSG – LDH or composite LDH to be
integrated in the sensor
Activity:
1.1 Studies on the selection of layered double hydroxides capable to detect MSG
Value of first stage: 90.000 lei
Second Stage - 31.12.2016
Selection of materials and LDH thin films deposition
Objectives:
1. Establishing the combination of food additive – LDH or composite LDH to be integrated in the sensor
Activity 1. Selection of materials capable to detect other agents that can influence the voltammetric measurements
Activity 2. Testing methods for extracting the additive from food/ beverages (solvent, temperature regime)
2. LDH thin films deposition
Activity 1. Selection of the appropriate deposition conditions to produce continuous, adherent and orientated LDH films
Activity 2. Structural, morphological and chemical characterization of the deposited layers
Value of second stage: 236.992 lei
Dissemination:
- Article “Ferrocene pixels by laser-induced forward transfer: towards flexible microelectrode printing”, B. Mitu, A. Matei, M. Filipescu, A. Palla Papavlu, A. Bercea, T. Lippert, M. Dinescu, Journal of Physics D- Applied Physics (submitted)
- Reconstruction by “memory effect” of layered double hydroxides thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition, A.Matei, R. Birjega, A.Vlad, V. Marascu, M. Filipescu, C. Luculescu, R.Zavoianu, O.D.Pavel, M.C. Corobea, M. Dinescu – EMRS Conference, Lille, Franta May 2-6 2016 (POSTER)
- „Laser deposition of layered double hydroxides thin films”, A. Matei, 2D EMN Meeting - EMN Workshop on Nanomaterials and Nanostructures – San Sebastian, Spain, 18-22 May 2016 (INVITED)
- Layered double hydroxides thin films grown by laser techniques for food additives detection, A.Matei, R. Birjega, A.Vlad, A. Palla Papavlu, M. Filipescu, V. Marascu, R. Zavoianu, O.D.Pavel, M.C. Corobea, M. Dinescu, ICPEPA 10 Confrence, Brasov, Romania 29 August - 3 September 2016 (POSTER)
- The selection of optimal deposition conditions for producing thin films of Mg-Al LDH using laser techniques, A. Marinescu, A. Matei, A. Vlad, R. Birjega, M. Filipescu, V. Marascu, M. Dinescu, I. Tirca, R. Zavoianu, O. D. Pavel, C. Corobea, ICPEPA 10 Confrence, Brasov, Romania 29 August - 3 September 2016 (POSTER)
- Spectroscopic and structural characterization of layered double hydroxides thin films, A. Marinescu, A. Matei, A. Vlad, R. Birjega, M. Filipescu, V. Marascu, M. Dinescu, I. Tirca, R. Zavoianu, O.D. Pavel, C. Corobea, IBWAP 2016 Conference, Constanta, Romania, 7-10 July 2016 (POSTER)
- Pulsed laser deposition of super hydrophobic thin films of layered double hydroxides, A.Matei, R. Birjega, A.Vlad, M. Filipescu, R.Zavoianu, O.D.Pavel, M.C. Corobea, M. Dinescu, Nanotech Conference, Whashington DC, USA, 22-25 May 2016 (POSTER)
Third Stage - 30.09.2017
Methods for layer quality improvement and sensor testing
1. Possible approaches to improve layer quality
1.1 Possible approaches to improve the quality of the layers (e.g. increasing the active surface)
1.2 Possible approaches to improve detection sensitivity of selected hydroxides
2. Sensors testing
2.1 Tests on MSG
2.2 Establish the detection parameters: sensitivity, selectivity, response time
2.3 Tests on substances that could lead to false responses or could influence the quality of the sensor response
2.4 Evaluation of system costs
3. Dissemination
Value of third stage: 223.008 lei
Dissemination:
- Optimum conditions for producing oriented thin LDH films, Anca MARINESCU, Andreea MATEI, Angela VLAD, Ruxandra BIRJEGA, Valentina MARASCU, Maria DINESCU, Rodica ZAVOIANU, Octavian D. PAVEL, Cosmin M. COROBEA, 17th International Balkan Workshop on Applied Physics and Materials Science, IBWAP 2017 (11-14, July, 2017) POSTER
- Properties and applications of clay thin films, Andreea Matei, Ruxandra Birjega, Angela Vlad, Dora D. Baciu, Maria Dinescu, Rodica Zavoianu, Mihai C. Corobea, 17th International Balkan Workshop on Applied Physics and Materials Science, IBWAP 2017 (11-14 July 2017) ORAL Presentation
- Lamellar thin films for food additives detection, A. Matei, R. Birjega, A.Vlad, A. Palla Papavlu, M. Filipescu, V. Marascu, A. Marinescu, M. Dinescu, R. Zavoianu, O.D.Pavel, The 9th International Conference on Advanced Materials, ROCAM 2017 (11-14 July, 2017), Bucharest, ROMANIA, POSTER
- Plasma treatment of layered double hydroxides thin films deposited by laser techniques, A. Matei, R. Birjega, D.D. Baciu, A. Vlad, A. Marinescu, M. D. Ionita, R. Zavoianu, M. Dinescu, 17th International Conference on Plasma Physics and Applications, 15-20 June 2017, Magurele, Bucharest, ROMANIA, POSTER
- Super hydrophobic thin films of hybrid fatty acids-layered double hydroxides obtained by laser techniques, A.Matei, R. Birjega, A.Vlad, D. Popescu, R.Zavoianu, M.C. Corobea, M. Dinescu, E-MRS 2017 Spring Meeting, May 22 to 26, 2017, Simpozion: New frontiers in laser interaction: from hard coatings to smart materials, Strasbourg, FRANCE, POSTER
- Photoluminescent Layered Double Hydroxides thin films, A. Vlad, I. Tirca, M. Secu, R. Birjega, R. Zavoianu, A. Matei, A. Marinescu, M. Dinescu, E-MRS 2017 Fall Meeting, Varsovia, Poland, 18-21 September 2017, POSTER
- ARTICLE: Pulsed laser deposition of functionalized Mg-Al layered double hydroxide thin films, A. Vlad, R. Birjega, I. Tirca, A. Matei, C. C. Mardare, A. W. Hassel, M. Dinescu, R. Zavoianu, Applied Phys A (under review)
- CAPTER: LDH interlayered nanostructures for biomedical and environmental applications, Matei Andreea, Birjega R., Vlad Angela, Mitu Bogdana, Baciu Dora Domnica, Dinescu M., Zavoianu R., in Functional nanostructured interfaces for environmental science and biomedical applications, edited by Elsevier (preparation)
Conclusions:
The optimal conditions for Ni3Al LDH thin film deposition as active surface of an MSG biosensor have been identified. Various methods have been approached for improving the quality and sensitivity of layers: for example, increasing the active surface by plasma treatment, adding a small amount of graphene in the composition of films using MAPLE technique. Another solution proposed is the use of a calcination / hydration procedure, but this requires a long processing time.
Sensors based on Ni3Al have been tested for sensitivity. Tests have been performed on substances that could lead to false responses or could influence the quality of the sensor response (e.g. ascorbic acid). The price of such an electrode at retail was estimated at 15.15 Eur, which could be drastically lowered when using an industrial system. The portable system can be further improved by adding sensing elements for other harmful food additives. The project is a step towards a device that can be immediately applied to people's lives and could be used by end-users, chain stores, food manufacturers and food monitoring authorities.