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Design and Application of an Imprinted Polymer Sensor for the Dual Detection of Antibiotic Contaminants in Aqueous Samples and Food Matrices

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Ollie Jamieson, Dr Alex Hudson, Dr Joshua Saczek, Professor Katarina NovakovicORCiD, Emma Foster, Professor Marloes Peeters

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Abstract

© 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. An innovative polymer-based dual detection microfluidic platform has been developed for the accurate and reliable sensing of trace amounts of antibiotic tetracycline in environmental and food samples. This was achieved through the production of a bespoke polymeric material formed via an imprinting technique using a fluorescent dye. Thus, this enables dual detection of tetracycline, both thermally, via analyzing the heat-transfer resistance at the solid-liquid interface, and optically, through the inner filter effect. The combination of these two methods achieved a nanomolar limit of detection for tetracycline while also providing rapid, selective, and cost-effective sensing. Additionally, this method successfully detected tetracycline levels of 0.56 μM in blank egg samples which was significantly lower than the maximum residual level of 400 μg L-1 (0.9 μM). Our work shows that this approach can be used for the efficient detection of trace antibiotics in complex environmental and food samples, offering enhanced reliability through the integration of two complementary analysis techniques. This sensor has the potential to identify sources of antimicrobial resistance, which is crucial for targeted efforts to combat this pressing global health challenge.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Jamieson OD, Bell J, Hudson A, Saczek J, Perez-Padilla V, Kaiya G, Novakovic K, Davies M, Foster E, Gruber J, Rurack K, Peeters M

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: ACS Applied Polymer Materials

Year: 2025

Volume: 7

Issue: 4

Pages: 2265-2273

Print publication date: 28/02/2025

Online publication date: 19/02/2025

Acceptance date: 07/02/2025

ISSN (electronic): 2637-6105

Publisher: American Chemical Society

URL: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.4c03218

DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.4c03218

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