Iranian scientists produce reusable nanoadsorbent to detect sulfamide in Chicken

Iranian researchers from Islamic Azad University succeeded in the production of a nanoadsorbent that is capable of detecting harmful and poisonous compounds in chicken.
Due to its magnetic properties, the nanoadsorbent can be easily recovered and reused.
Detection of sulfamides is very important in chicken. The use of this compound results in digestive problems, headache, dizziness, jaundice and other diseases. The illegal use of this material is increasing every day due to its effect on the growth of chickens. In this research, the researchers produced a nanoadsorbent that is capable of adsorbing this compound from chicken samples to determine the amount of the consumed material.
Mohammad Karimi, one of the researchers, explained the characteristics of the produced nanoadsorbents, and said, “The adsorbent has been made of magnetic nanoparticles with a coating of carved polymer. The average diameter of the adsorbent is 50 nm. The produced nanoadsorbent has high selectivity and it adsorbs only sulfamide in the sample. On the other hand, the adsorbent can be easily separated from the sample by imposing magnetic field due to the magnetic properties of nanoparticles used in it. Therefore, the adsorbent can be reused easily.”
In case this nanoadsorbent is used, a decrease will be observed in the time and cost of the test to determine the amount of the desired compound in chicken. The use of this adsorbent in aviculture and foodstuff industries prevents the excess use of sulfamide, and as a result, it increases the health of consumers.
Results of the research have been published in Food Analytical Methods, vol. 7, issue 1, January 2014, pp. 73-80.