Perovskite nanocomposite of defective yolk-shell BaHo2Co3O8-x for electrochemical sensing of ractopamine in pork meat sample

Since ractopamine (RPA) can increase high growth rates in cattle and swine, illegal RPA usage has been widespread in many farming enterprises. Owing to the possible damage to public health, RPA detection has become a critical issue in recent decades. As a result, in order to maintain food safety, an analytical tool for rapid, precise, portable, and sensitive monitoring of RPA in animal tissues is required. In this study, the electrochemical sensor is developed for the first time by the defective yolk-shell of BaHo2Co3O8-x nanocomposites (perovskite types), which are synthesized using a hydrothermal followed by a calcination process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) are used to investigate physicochemical characterizations. Moreover, the elements are confirmed by the energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS) and elemental mapping analysis. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and difference pulse voltammetry (DPV) are used to detect RPA by modified BaHo2Co3O8-x/SPCE. The electrochemical sensing ability of the modified BaHo2Co3O8-x/SPCE displays a broad linear response range (up to 200 μM) and an ultralow detection limit (0.029 μM). Furthermore, the BaHo2Co3O8-x/SPCE presents outstanding selectivity, good repeatability, long-term storage stability, and reproducibility for RPA detection in pork meat samples.