Antibiotic
resistance and adverse reactions in humans
can be avoided
by detecting antibiotics early in the milk supply chain. To meet the
demand, we developed a flexible and simple optical sensing method
based on a non-van der Waals two-dimensional (2D) metal oxide, 2D-magnesiochromite
(2D-MgCr2O4). We used a rapid, label-free Raman
enhancement mechanism for antibiotic detection. The Raman spectral
mapping method has also been used to quickly identify traces of antibiotics
in food products. Here, we have used UV–visible spectroscopy,
Raman spectroscopy, and Raman imaging to analyze the 2D material’s
detection potential in water initially and finally in milk. The device
has over a month-long shelf life, even when stored in typical atmospheric
conditions, and the acquired detection limits are 30 ng/mL by UV–visible
spectroscopy and 10 ng/mL by Raman spectroscopy in milk. Such methods
can be extended to detection of other toxic ingredients in food products.