Surface modification of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and methyl methacrylate molecularly imprinted polymer for gluten detection

Abstract

Gluten is a protein found in cereal grain such as wheat, barley, and rye. A small amount of gluten causes an autoimmune disease that leads to damage in the digestive system as well as a skin body system. The detection of gluten in food attracts tremendous attention. Surface modification by molecularly imprinted polymers electrode has been studied for specific detection of gluten using electrochemical superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles trapped into a polymer matrix to improve gluten sensitivity with a magnetic property. A gold screen-printed electrode was modified by the magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers using surface polymerization of methyl methacrylate as monomer and gluten as a template. The magnetic iron oxide with a particle size less than 100 nm was modified and characterized using VSM, DLS and TEM techniques. SEM techniques confirmed the surface morphology of gold screen-printed electrodes modified with the MMIP. Finally, MMIP electrodes were used to detect gluten by an electrochemical method.