Electrochemical Detection of Penicillin G Using Molecularly Imprinted Conductive Co-Polymer Sensor

Abstract

Antibiotics are increasingly used to treat certain bacteria that are harmful to humans. However, their inadequate or excessive use can lead to the proliferation of certain more resistant strains, which ultimately reduces their effectiveness. To counter this, it is essential to limit the amount of antibiotics ingested, particularly through animal food, if the animals themselves have received antibiotic treatment. In the case of milk, it is necessary to be able to detect quantities of antibiotics in the range of a few parts per billion. A sensor has therefore been developed for this purpose. The sensitive layer that we propose to use in this study, is based on a molecularly imprinted conductive polymer (MICP) that allows a very specific interaction and have been integrated into electrochemical detection approaches by polymerization on electrodes. The sensor is based on the measurement of the variation in conductivity of a sensitive layer deposited between two electrodes, which is influenced by the presence of the antibiotic. Although it seems possible to further improve the performance of these sensors, their use in this field seems very promising considering the obtained results.