Sensitive electrochemical immunosensor for rapid detection of Salmonella in milk using polydopamine/CoFe-MOFs@Nafion modified gold electrode

Food contaminated by pathogenic bacteria poses a serious threat to human health. Consequently, we used Salmonella as a model and developed an electrochemical immunosensor based on a polydopamine/CoFe-MOFs@Nafion nanocomposite for the detection of Salmonella in milk. The CoFe-MOFs exhibit good stability, large specific surface area, and high porosity. However, after modification on the electrode surface, they were prone to detachment. This issue was effectively mitigated by incorporating Nafion into the nanocomposite. A polydopamine (PDA) film was deposited onto the surface of CoFe-MOFs@Nafion through cyclic voltammetry (CV), accompanied by an investigation into the polymerization mechanism of the PDA film. PDA contains a substantial number of quinone functional groups, which can covalently bind to amino or sulfhydryl groups via Michael addition reaction or Schiff base reaction, thereby immobilizing anti-Salmonella antibodies onto the modified electrode surface. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the Salmonella concentration exhibited a good linear relationship within the range of 1.38 × 10² to 1.38 × 10⁸ CFU mL⁻¹, with a detection limit of 1.38 × 10² CFU mL⁻¹. Furthermore, the constructed immunosensor demonstrated good specificity, stability, and reproducibility, offering a novel approach for the rapid detection of foodborne pathogens.