In Situ Collection and Rapid Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria Using a Flexible SERS Platform Combined with a Portable Raman Spectrometer

Abstract

This study aims to develop a simple, sensitive, low-cost, environmentally friendly and flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platform, combined with a portable Raman spectrometer, for the rapid and on-site SERS detection of bacteria. Commercial tobacco packaging paper (TPP) with little background interference was used as a loading medium that effectively adsorbed Au nanoparticles and provided sufficient “hot spots”. This Au-tobacco packaging paper (Au-TPP) substrate used as a flexible SERS platform can maximize sample collection by wiping irregular surfaces, and was successfully applied to the on-site and rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria. Raman fingerprints of pathogenic bacteria can be obtained by SERS detection of spiked pork using wipeable Au-TPP, which verifies its value in practical applications. The results collected by SERS were further verified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results. It showed several advantages in on-site SERS detection, including accurate discrimination, simple preparation, easy operation, good sensitivity, accuracy and reproducibility. This study indicates that the established flexible SERS platform has good practical applications in pathogenic bacterial identification and other rapid detections.

Recent advances of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of bacteria

“…Zhao et al developed a hands-on detection technique by synthesizing a flexible SERS substrate through the precipitation of AuNPs on an inexpensive tobacco packaging paper (TPP). 50 The paper based enhanced substrate allowed a flexible SERS platform with in situ sample collection by directly swabbing onto the sample. However, the method is limited to the detection of surface bacteria of a sample.…”

“…Then the liquefied sample will be used for the analysis of bacteria 31 . For the surface of the solid samples, a tape or swab can be used to collect the sample and to be directly analyzed by Raman spectroscopy 50 . After the homogenization of the samples, an efficient and specific separation of bacteria from complex samples can still be challenging.…”

Bioinspired Multifunctional Silver Nanoparticles for Optical Sensing Applications: A Sustainable Approach

“…Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has fascinated considerable deliberation amid other spectroscopies as a powerful tool for the diagnosis of trace amounts of nanoparticles. , According to classical mechanics, the enhancement in Raman signals is instigated by the enrichment of electromagnetic fields due to plasmonic nanostructures. Generally, the rough/hard surface of the metallic particle will act as a hot spot in plasma resonance.…”

Flexible Large-Area Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrate Based on Bowl-Shaped Arrays of Au Nanoparticles on PDMS

“…18 This innovative substrate success-fully detected crystalline violet and the thiram on contaminated fish and orange peels, with concentrations as low as 10 −7 and 10 −5 M, respectively. Then, in 2022, Zhao et al attached gold nanoparticles to commercially available tobacco packaging 19 by using Raman spectroscopy of pathogenic bacteria collected from pork surfaces. The study demonstrates that a flexible SERS substrate did not require strict sample preparation processes, enabling convenient and quick detection.…”