Abstract
•An electrochemical sensor fabricated using La2NiO4/f-CNF composite.•La2NiO4/f-CNF composite was synthesized by hydrothermal and ultrasonication methods.•Differential pulse voltammetry technique was utilized for vanillin detection.•Fabricated sensor showed good sensitivity and low limit of detection (6 nM).•Real-time monitoring of vanillin in chocolate and ice cream.
Contemporary food marketing is ruined by flavor enhancers rather than emphasizing the nutritional value of food. Vanillin is an overexploited flavor enhancer added to food items, thereby necessitating its detection. In this study, an electrochemical sensor was designed using a modified electrode made up of La2NiO4 functionalized carbon nanofiber (f-CNF) to effectively detect vanillin in food samples. To confirm the successful formation of La2NiO4/f-CNF, structural and morphological studies were performed using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Further electrochemical analysis was performed using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry techniques, which resulted in high sensitivity (0.2899 µA·μM−1·cm−2) and low limit of detection (LOD) (6 nM). This modified electrode material was tested in food samples, which showed an excellent response with recovery percentage and is a promising electrocatalyst for vanillin detection.