Sugar determination via the homogeneous reduction of Au salts: A novel optical measurement

A novel optical assay for sugar determination based on the catalytic and biocatalytic growth of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is presented. The reaction of carbohydrates with these Au salts in alkaline media generates AuNPs at room temperature (RT) without the need for Au seeds in the solution or fibrous mesh. The optical properties of the resulting AuNPs relates to the total reducing sugar content of the samples analyzed. The development of such inexpensive optical assay was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively on food beverages and honey samples. Its application can be of help to control the glucose content of the diet or easily extended in a host of industrial, biomedical and clinical fields.