Hetero-enzyme mediated synergistic catalytic SERS-assisted lateral flow strip for ultrasensitive detection of carbendazim in mushroom

Carbendazim (CBZ) is frequently employed in conjunction with other agents to enhance crop yields in planting. Excessive utilization of pesticides, while advantageous for yield enhancement, poses significant risks to both the environment and human health. In this study, we developed a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) assisted lateral flow strip (LFS) by simultaneous integrating nanozymes and nature enzymes to co-catalyze the coloration of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). The enhanced optical signal of oxTMB was adopted for quantitative screening of CBZ. Meanwhile, the SERS enhancement effect on oxTMB contributed to the more distinct characteristic Raman signal of oxTMB even under the condition of trace CBZ, greatly improving both the sensitivity and stability. With this multi hetero-enzyme mediated in-situ catalytic SERS-assisted LFS, excellent detection limit has been exhibited in the lower concentration range from 0‒4 ng/mL. And successful applications of SERS-assisted LFS in practical spiked mushroom samples have been achieved, demonstrating the great potential of this hetero-enzyme mediated synergistic catalytic SERS-assisted LFS in food safety and ultrasensitive detection.