title: Label-Free Detection of Gliadin in Food by Quartz Crystal Microbalance-Based Immunosensor.
abstract: Gluten is a protein composite found in wheat and related grains including barley, rye, oat, and all their species and hybrids. Gluten matrix is a biomolecular network of gliadins and glutenins that contribute to the texture of pastries, breads, and pasta. Gliadins are mainly responsible for celiac disease, one of the most widespread food-related pathologies in Western world. In view of the importance of gliadin proteins, by combining the quartz crystal microbalance technology, a cheap and robust piezoelectric transducer, with the so-called photonic immobilization technique, an effective surface functionalization method that provides spatially oriented antibodies on gold substrates, we realized a sensitive and reliable biosensor for quantifying these analytes extracted from real samples in a very short time. The resulting immunosensor has a limit of detection of about 4 ppm and, more remarkably, shows excellent sensitivity in the range 7.5-15 ppm. This feature makes our device reliable and effective for practical applications since it is able to keep low the influence of false positives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics Ettore Pancini, Università di Napoli Federico II , via Cintia, I-80126 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Funari
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l'Orticoltura , via dei Cavalleggeri 25, 84098 Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy.
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Terracciano
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics Ettore Pancini, Università di Napoli Federico II , via Cintia, I-80126 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Bartolomeo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Della Ventura
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l'Orticoltura , via dei Cavalleggeri 25, 84098 Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l'Orticoltura , via dei Cavalleggeri 25, 84098 Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy.
authors.forename: Teodoro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cardi
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l'Orticoltura , via dei Cavalleggeri 25, 84098 Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy.
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics Ettore Pancini, Università di Napoli Federico II , via Cintia, I-80126 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1077-8353
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Velotta
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005903:Gliadin / Q000032:analysis*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D058525:Quartz Crystal Microbalance Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D005903:Gliadin
keywords: antibodies; gliadin; immunosensor; photonic immobilization technique; quartz-crystal microbalance; surface functionalization