Sodium nitrite is a common practice additive in meat products for enhancing color, flavor, and microbial quality; however,
several studies link its post-procession to the formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines. The aim of this study was to fabricate
and validate a portable, rapid, and accurate microfluidic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) analytical device to determine the
nitrite concentration in meat products. The colorimetric determination of nitrite using PDMS is based on Griess reaction.
The proposed PDMS method was validated and the uncertainty evaluated according to Eurachem guidelines. Results demonstrated
that PDMS device’s detection and quantification limits for nitrite were 0.1 and 0.4 mg L−
1, respectively. A complete
correlation (R2 = 0.99) and RSD value was 1.3–2.1% (inter-day precision) and 1.5–2.4% (intra-day precision). The PDMS
method is highly robust, accurate 98.8%, and uncertainty measurement 3.5%. No significant differences between PDMS
device and spectrophotometry were found during the determination of nitrite in examined processed meat products. The
overall analysis of the PDMS device could be completed within 10 min. The PDMS-based device has potential applications
for rapid detection and routinely screen the nitrite concentration of meat products and guarantee food safety. |
