Electrochemical measurement of zearalenone in food samples by using modified electrode

Mycotoxins, hazardous secondary metabolites naturally produced by filamentous fungi (molds), pose ongoing global concerns for food safety due to their wide range of toxic effects in humans and animals, as well as their contribution to significant economic losses. A common mycotoxin, zearalenone (ZEA) is mostly present in grains such as rye, sorghum, barley, wheat, and maize. Its detrimental effects, such as mutagenicity and carcinogenicity, pose a serious risk to both human and animal health. The current work created a sensitive electrochemical sensor to determine ZEA utilizing a screen-printed graphene electrode modified with MoS ₂ nanosheets/MnO ₂ nanorods. Fourier transfer infrared and Transmission Electron Microscopy were used to investigate the properties of the as-fabricated sensor. The etection limit based on S/N = 3 was determined to be 3.0 nM, and the oxidation current of ZEA on the modified electrode surface showed a linear response in the range of 0.008–100.0 µM. The applicability of the modified electrode was evaluated by determining ZEA in food specimens using the standard addition method, yielding acceptable relative standard deviations (2.9–3.4%) and recoveries (97.1–104.2%).