Fabrication of cost-effective antifouling sensors with conjugation of hyaluronic acid and phase-transited BSA for the rapid detection of gentamicin

Matrix interference poses persistent and significant challenges against rapidly detecting gentamicin residue in foods. Here, we fabricated synergistic antifouling surfaces using the phase transition of bovine serum albumin (PTB) and hyaluronic acid (HA) on substrates. The hybrid PTB + HA coatings showed ultralow adsorption of BSA and lysozyme, requiring 10 times less PTB dosage. With PTB's assistance, the modification of HA proved to be much more cost-effective than the sulfhydrated HA. The adsorption of E. coli on the hybrid coatings could be reduced by 92.6 %, illustrating good properties of antibacterial adsorption. Furthermore, the hybrid surfaces demonstrated good stability despite being rinsed with strong acid and alkaline solutions. Based on the immune-inhibition assay, the sensitive antifouling sensors were developed with a low detection limit (1.8 ng/mL for gentamicin) and satisfactory recovery rate (94.0 %–104.0 %) in goat milk. All tests could be completed within 10 min, confirming the sensor system's feasibility and efficiency.