Use of a fractal-like gold nanostructure in surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy for detection of selected food contaminants.

The safety of imported seafood products because of the contamination of prohibited substances, including crystal violet (CV) and malachite green (MG), raised a great deal of concern in the United States. In this study, a fractal-like gold nanostructure was developed through a self-assembly process and the feasibility of using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) coupled with this nanostructure for detection of CV, MG, and their mixture (1:1) was explored. SERS was capable of characterizing and differentiating CV, MG, and their mixture on fractal-like gold nanostructures quickly and accurately. The enhancement factor of the gold nanostructures could reach an impressive level of approximately 4 x 10(7), and the lowest detectable concentration for the dye molecules was at approximately 0.2 ppb level. These results indicate that SERS coupled with fractal-like gold nanostructures holds a great potential as a rapid and ultra-sensitive method for detecting trace amounts of prohibited substances in contaminated food samples.