Folic acid measurement with high sensitivity, selectivity possible

Iranian scientists succeeded in the invention of a new method with high sensitivity and selectivity to measure various materials, including folic acid. The new method works based on the activation of gold electrode modified with gold nanoparticles by using high potential in alkaline electrolyte. The invention of a new method with high sensitivity and selectivity to measure various compounds, including folic acid, was among the objectives of the research team. Among the innovations of the research, mention can be made of the activation method of chemically deposited gold nanoparticles by using high potential on the nanoparticles and increasing its oxidation signal in alkaline solution, which increases the sensitivity of the measurement method. Moreover, indirect measurement of folic acid through studying the amount of reduction in oxidation current signal of gold nanoparticles due to the adsorption of folic acid on its surface was another specification of the new method. Usual methods for the measurement of folic acid, such as spectroscopy and chromatography, require preliminary extraction and purification processes, which are costly and time-consuming. Besides, the obtained results are under the influence of disturbing parameters, which puts limitations on the applications of the methods in foodstuff analysis. The new method is a fast, sensitive, and very specific method in the measurement of folic acid, which can be used in the measurement of other compounds too. Results of the research have been published in International Journal of Electrochemical Science, 2013, vol. 8. For more information about the details of the research, study the full article on pages 3755-3767 on the same journal.