Investigating CuO-ZrO2 Mixed Metal Oxide Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Sensing of Food Colors

A fast and highly sensitive electrochemical sensor (ECS) is crucially desirable for observing synthetic dyes in foodstuffs, as excessive consumption of these colorants can pose risks to human health, including toxicity and pathogenicity. This research introduces the creation of an ECS comprising a CuO-ZrO₂ nanocomposite for detecting Sunset Yellow (SY) dye in beverage and food items. The synthesized CuO-ZrO₂ material underwent thorough characterization using various physicochemical and electroanalytical methods. The ECS deposited over glassy carbon electrode (GCE) demonstrated its best response for SY when operated using a 0.01-M, pH 5 phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution. The optimal performance for the SY detection was obtained at a scan rate of 0.1 V s⁻¹. Under these ideal conditions, the CuO-ZrO₂ demonstrated a linear range of 0.01–50 ppm for SY. The current limited of detection was 7699 μA, while the sensitivity value was determined to be 19.43 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻². This straightforward and highly responsive sensor offers rapid and cost-effective detection of SY.