AsianScientist (May 9, 2013) – Scientists in China have developed an electrochemical method to spot the dangerous Orange II dye in condiments such as ketchup and chilli.
Orange II, an azo dye, is commonly used in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), wood stains, and in the textiles industry. However, the dye is sometimes illegally used as a red dye in food products, despite its adverse health effects if consumed.
In a new study published in the journal Analytical Methods, researchers at Xinyang Normal University in Henan, China report a new electrochemical sensor based on nanomaterials that can be used to spot the dye at nanomolar concentrations in ketchup and chilli products.
The researchers developed a sensitive and rapid assay using mesoporous titanium dioxide-decorated graphene nanocomposite. In an acidic (pH 4.4) buffer, the sensor’s electrodes were irreversibly oxidized when Orange II was present, compared to no change when the electrodes were not modified with graphene and mesoporous titanium dioxide. In the study, the lowest concentration that Orange II could be detected using the sensor was 0.92 nM.
As a proof-of-concept for future product testing applications, the researchers demonstrated that their new sensor could be used to identify trace amounts of Orange II dyes in chilli and ketchup samples.
The article can be found at: Gan T et al. (2013) Highly sensitive determination of Orange II based on the dual amplified electrochemical signal of graphene and mesoporous TiO2.
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