Functionalization of biogenic silver nanoparticles with Vitamin B12 for the detection of iron in food samples

Abstract

A comprehensible, validated, and simple method was developed for the determination of Fe+3 ions in food samples. To accomplish this, Vitamin B12-functionalized biological silver nanoparticles (FAgNPs) were synthesised and employed. The test of sensitivity showed 2 mgL−1 as the limit of detection for Fe+3 ions by FAgNPs. The intra-day and inter-day recoveries of Fe+3 were observed in the range of 78–88% and 74–94%, respectively. Moreover, the procedure was successfully applied for Fe+3 ion detection in some cereals and commercially available baby food products. The application of FAgNPs-based methods showed high specificity and sensitivity, providing a promising strategy to detect low Fe+3 ion concentration in the range of 2–10 mgL−1. When compared to atomic absorption spectrophotometry, the detection efficiency of FAgNPs-based method was comparable and acceptable. The proposed methodology is a low-cost and portable nanoparticle-based technology for rapid assessment of Fe+3 ions with promising potential for practical implementation, beside being sustainable due to its biogenic nature.

Keywords

• FAgNPs
• Fe+3 ions detection
• RSD
• UV-Vis spectrophotometry
• Atomic absorption spectroscopy