Electrochemical sensor development for detection of tetracycline in bovine liver

• Grant number: 25/05866-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Sergio Antonio Spinola Machado
• Grantee: Mariana Duarte Pires
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The presence of antibiotics, such as tetracycline, in meat for human consumption can pose health threats to consumers, such as allergic reactions and the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Strict quality control is required for meat exports. The quantification of these substances in meat for consumption is regulated by agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply and the National Health Surveillance Agency. However, the recommended analytical techniques are time-consuming, expensive and require specialized laboratories with highly qualified teams. This project proposes the development of an electroanalytical technique for the determination of tetracycline in bovine liver based on the catalytic effect of carbon nanospheres immobilized on disposable carbon screen-printed electrodes. These nanostructures will be synthesized and characterized in the laboratories of the Electrochemical Materials and Electroanalytical Methods Group of the Chemistry Institute of São Carlos, USP. The proposed electrochemical techniques are cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. These techniques are fast, inexpensive and do not require highly qualified experimenters. The results obtained with the electroanalytical technique in artificially contaminated samples will be compared with those obtained by a standard ANVISA technique, i.e., high-performance liquid chromatography with UV-vis detection. For this purpose, an appropriate statistical method will be used.