Au-Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Food Contaminants: A Review

Food contaminants, including harmful microbes, pesticide residues, heavy metals and illegal additives, pose significant public health risks. While traditional detection methods are effective, they are often slow and require complex equipment, which limits their application in real-time monitoring an...

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Main Authors: Pengpeng Yu, Chaoping Shen, Xifeng Yin, Junhui Cheng, Chao Liu, Ziting Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Foods
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/12/2109
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author Pengpeng Yu
Chaoping Shen
Xifeng Yin
Junhui Cheng
Chao Liu
Ziting Yu
author_facet Pengpeng Yu
Chaoping Shen
Xifeng Yin
Junhui Cheng
Chao Liu
Ziting Yu
author_sort Pengpeng Yu
collection DOAJ
description Food contaminants, including harmful microbes, pesticide residues, heavy metals and illegal additives, pose significant public health risks. While traditional detection methods are effective, they are often slow and require complex equipment, which limits their application in real-time monitoring and rapid response. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology has gained widespread use in related research due to its hypersensitivity, non-destructibility and molecular fingerprinting capabilities. In recent years, Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles (Au-Ag BNPs) have emerged as novel SERS substrates, accelerating advancements in SERS detection technology. Au-Ag BNPs can be classified into Au-Ag alloys, Au-Ag core–shells and Au-Ag aggregates, among which the Au-Ag core–shell structure is more widely applied. This review discusses the types, synthesis methods and practical applications of Au-Ag BNPs in food contaminants. The study aims to provide valuable insights into the development of new Au-Ag BNPs and their effective use in detecting common food contaminants. Additionally, this paper explores the challenges and future prospects of SERS technology based on Au-Ag BNPs for pollutant detection, including the development of functional integrated substrates, advancements in intelligent algorithms and the creation of portable on-site detection platforms. These innovations are designed to streamline the detection process and offer guidance in selecting optimal sensing methods for the on-site detection of specific pollutants.
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issn 2304-8158
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
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spelling doaj-art-21905d0d412d46a4951a2d8fa6abd4472025-08-20T03:27:14ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-06-011412210910.3390/foods14122109Au-Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Food Contaminants: A ReviewPengpeng Yu0Chaoping Shen1Xifeng Yin2Junhui Cheng3Chao Liu4Ziting Yu5School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaZhenjiang Agricultural Products Quality Inspection and Testing Center, Zhenjiang 212009, ChinaSchool of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaJurong Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Monitoring Center, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaJurong Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Monitoring Center, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaFood contaminants, including harmful microbes, pesticide residues, heavy metals and illegal additives, pose significant public health risks. While traditional detection methods are effective, they are often slow and require complex equipment, which limits their application in real-time monitoring and rapid response. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology has gained widespread use in related research due to its hypersensitivity, non-destructibility and molecular fingerprinting capabilities. In recent years, Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles (Au-Ag BNPs) have emerged as novel SERS substrates, accelerating advancements in SERS detection technology. Au-Ag BNPs can be classified into Au-Ag alloys, Au-Ag core–shells and Au-Ag aggregates, among which the Au-Ag core–shell structure is more widely applied. This review discusses the types, synthesis methods and practical applications of Au-Ag BNPs in food contaminants. The study aims to provide valuable insights into the development of new Au-Ag BNPs and their effective use in detecting common food contaminants. Additionally, this paper explores the challenges and future prospects of SERS technology based on Au-Ag BNPs for pollutant detection, including the development of functional integrated substrates, advancements in intelligent algorithms and the creation of portable on-site detection platforms. These innovations are designed to streamline the detection process and offer guidance in selecting optimal sensing methods for the on-site detection of specific pollutants.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/12/2109Surface-enhanced Raman scatteringfood contaminantsAu-Ag bimetallic nanoparticlessensor
spellingShingle Pengpeng Yu
Chaoping Shen
Xifeng Yin
Junhui Cheng
Chao Liu
Ziting Yu
Au-Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Food Contaminants: A Review
Foods
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering
food contaminants
Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles
sensor
title Au-Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Food Contaminants: A Review
title_full Au-Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Food Contaminants: A Review
title_fullStr Au-Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Food Contaminants: A Review
title_full_unstemmed Au-Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Food Contaminants: A Review
title_short Au-Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Food Contaminants: A Review
title_sort au ag bimetallic nanoparticles for surface enhanced raman scattering sers detection of food contaminants a review
topic Surface-enhanced Raman scattering
food contaminants
Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles
sensor
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/12/2109
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