Nanostructured WS₂@Chitosan-Modified Screen-Printed Carbon Electrodes for Efficient Amperometric Detection of Histamine

Histamine, a pivotal chemical within certain cells of the human body, is responsible for eliciting various allergic symptoms, such as sneezing and a runny nose. In cases of allergies, where the immune system misidentifies typically harmless substances, such as certain foods or dust, as harmful, an efficient histamine sensor becomes imperative. This research introduces a novel sensing platform by employing a material comprising hydrothermally synthesized WS₂ nanosheets and using this with a chitosan (CS) biopolymer on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPE). Integrating WS₂ and CS components on the SPE via drop-casting synergistically enhances conductivity and various sensor properties. This novel hybrid material combines organic CS and inorganic WS₂ components applied for nonenzymatic histamine detection via differential pulse voltammetry. This study also included crystallite size determination and surface morphology assessment through characterization of the synthesized WS₂ nanosheets. On the surface of the SPE, WS₂ and CS were drop-casted. It is recommended that histamine be electrochemically measured on modified WS₂/CS/SPE electrodes. Histamine measurements were conducted within a linear coverage of 1–100 μM, with a limit of detection of 0.0844 μM and sensitivity of 1.44 × 10^–4 mA/μM cm². The developed sensor exhibited notable levels of sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and repeatability, along with an extended linear range. The sensing technique was consequently employed to detect the histamine levels in packed food items like fermented food samples (cheese, tomato sauce, tomato ketchup, and soy sauce) at room temperature (25 °C). The findings recommend the utilization of electrochemical sensing on modified WS₂/CS/SPE electrodes for accurate histamine detection.