Bimetallic core shelled nanoparticles (Au@AgNPs) for rapid detection of thiram and dicyandiamide contaminants in liquid milk using SERS.

Existing methods for contaminants detection in liquid milk are complex, requires chemicals and time-consuming experimental procedure. In this study, SERS based on bimetallic core shelled nanoparticles was employed for simultaneous and fast detection of thiram and dicyandiamide (DCD) in the milk. Spectra ranging from 400 to 1700 cm-1 were selected to examine thiram (0.5, 1, 2, 5 and 10 ppm) and DCD (20, 40, 80,160 and 320 ppm), by employing 28 nm gold cores and silver-shell thickness of 8 nm. A strong peak at 1379 cm-1 was ascribed to thiram with LOD of 0.21 ppm and R2 of 0.9896, whereas a band at 929 cm-1 was associated with DCD, delivering LOD of 14.88 ppm and R2 of 0.9956. The proposed method could achieve results within 34 min and this ecofriendly method can be further employed for simultaneous and rapid screening of other accidental contaminants in milk.