Functionalizing micro-cantilevers for meat degradation measurements

This paper presents an investigation of the functionalization of micro-cantilevers in order to bind to specific biogenic amines related to meat degradation, as for example cadaverine. The micro-cantilevers were functionalized with the compost 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (cyclam), which is binding to cadaverine molecules on gas phase. Different functionalization conditions were investigated, by immersing gold coated AFM cantilevers in cyclam solutions at different concentrations, for different functionalization times, and for different post-annealing treatments. The results show different morphologies for different conditions, and specific binding properties for different morphologies. The samples were exposed to gas phase cadaverine at different concentrations and to meat sample. Changes in resonance frequency of the cantilevers (due to mass increase by cadaverine binding) were measured using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and were in the range of few kHz, corresponding to a mass change of about 600 femtogram (for 4 seconds exposure to cadaverine).