A Smart Advanced Chemiluminescence-Sensing Platform Based On Luminol For Visual Analysis Of Natural Antioxidants

Recently, a research report published in "Analytical Chemistry" showed that researchers at Nagasaki University in Japan developed an intelligent chemiluminescence sensing platform based on Luminol, which can visually analyze the distribution of natural antioxidant tissue.

Antioxidants can prevent the oxidation of biological components, they are used as food additives can prevent or delay the oxidation of food, improve the stability of food and extend the shelf life.

The vegetables and fruits rich in natural antioxidants can help humans prevent various diseases such as heart disease and cancer, and also have the effect of improving brain power and delaying aging.

Therefore, a simple and rapid assay for evaluation of antioxidant capacity and assessment of their distribution profile in natural sources is vital.

The researchers found that intense and long-lasting CL was formed upon the redox reaction of quinones, e.g., menadione, with antioxidants, e.g., l-ascorbic acid, in the presence of luminol. The produced CL intensities were proportional to the antioxidants’ concentrations with a detection limit of 0.18 μM for the model antioxidant, l-ascorbic acid. As the formed CL was long-lasting, it could be easily captured and detected with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. To evaluate the quantification ability of the CCD camera, they developed a smart and fast microplate-based assay based on photographing the generated CL with a cooled CCD camera. And then the method was applied for photographing multiple food sample extracts.

They immersed the sample in luminol, then immersed in quinone, and then performed CCD photography. The results showed that the chemiluminescence intensity was linearly proportional to the concentration of antioxidants. The whole process without the need for any pulverization/extraction procedure, giving precise antioxidant distribution information.

Related links:Luminol

References: Naoya Kishikawa. Et al. A Smart Advanced Chemiluminescence-Sensing Platform for Determination and Imaging of the Tissue Distribution of Natural Antioxidants. Analytical Chemistry. 2020, DOI: 10.1021 / acs.analchem.0c00044