Analytes of interest: pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, food additives, microplastics, nanomaterials, bacteria, etc.
1. NIH R01, 01/01/24-10/31/28, Role: PI, ~ $1,900,000
Title: Novel approach for determining the age of mosquitoes
2. USDA-NIFA, 01/01/21-12/31/24, Role: PI, $469,900
Title: Investigate the impact of adjuvants on pesticide persistence and develop an effective strategy to reduce pesticide residues on fresh Produce
3. USDA-NIFA, 11/01/15-10/31/19, Role: PI, $473,628
Title: In situ and real time monitoring and characterization of pesticide residues on and in fresh produce using SERS
4. USDA-NIFA, 02/01/15-01/31/18, Role: PI, $444,200
Title: Development of a label-free SERS mapping-based platform for multi-bacterial detection in food
5. USDA-NIFA, 2/01/15-01/31/18, Role: PI, $499,500
Title: Investigate the interactions between silver nanoparticles and leafy vegetables using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic mapping
1. Du, X., Ho, L., Li, S., Doherty, J., Lee, J., Clark, J. M., & He, L. (2025). Efficacy of Household and Commercial Washing Agents in Removing the Pesticide Thiabendazole Residues from Fruits. Foods, 14(2), 318.
2. Du, X., Doherty, J., Lee, J., Clark, J. M., & He, L. (2025). Investigating the Impact of Crop Oil Concentrate on the Persistence and Penetration of Pesticides Applied on Apples. ACS Agricultural Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsagscitech.4c00587
3. Zhang, Y., Gao, Z., & He, L. (2024). Optical detection and enumeration of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica using a low-magnification light microscope. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 226, 107041.
4. Du, X., Doherty, J., Lee, J., Clark, J. M., & He, L. (2024). Assessment of the effect of non-ionic surfactant alkylphenol ethoxylates on the penetration of pesticides in fresh produce. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 125691.
5. Zhang, Y., Gao, Z., & He, L. (2024). Integration of surface swab with optical microscopy for detection and quantification of bacterial cells from stainless-steel surfaces. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 77(10), ovae089.
6. Gao, W., Du, X., Gao, Z., Dai, H., Liu, D., Doherty, J., ... & He, L. (2024). Surface dissipation and foliar penetration of acetamiprid on tea leaves in the presence or absence of adjuvants. LWT, 205, 116536.
7. Guo, X., Dai, H., & He, L. (2024). Migration testing of microplastics from selected water and food containers by Raman microscopy. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 462, 132798.
8. Du, X., Gao, Z., & He, L. (2024). Quantifying the effect of non‐ionic surfactant alkylphenol ethoxylates on the persistence of thiabendazole on fresh produce surface. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 104(5), 2630-2640.
9. Guo, X., Dai, H., Gukowsky, J., Tan, X., & He, L. (2023). Detection and quantification of microplastics in commercially bottled edible oil. Food Packaging and Shelf Life, 38, 101122.
10. Gao, Z., Harrington, L.C., Zhu, W., Barrientos, L.M., Alfonso-Parra, C., Avila, F.W., Clark, J.M. and He, L., (2023). Accurate age-grading of field-aged mosquitoes reared under ambient conditions using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and artificial neural networks. Journal of Medical Entomology, 60(5), 917–923.
11. Dai, H., & He, L. (2023). Mirror-Stamping: A new TLC-SERS method for color authentication. Talanta Open, 7, 100237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talo.2023.100237
12. Du, X., Gao, Z., Yang, T., Qu, Y., & He, L. (2023). Understanding the impact of a non-ionic surfactant alkylphenol ethoxylate on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic analysis of pesticides on apple surfaces. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 301, 122954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2023.122954
13. Dai, H., Forbes, A., Guo, X., & He, L. (2022). Prediction of Anthocyanin Color Stability against Iron Co-Pigmentation by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Foods, 11(21), 3436. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11213436
14. Wang, D., Du, X., & He, L. (2022). Investigation of the Impact of a Pesticide Adjuvant on Dimethoate Persistence, Penetration, and Stability on Apples Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. ACS Agricultural Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsagscitech.2c00092
15. Gukowsky, J. C., & He, L. (2022). Development of a portable SERS method for testing the antibiotic sensitivity of foodborne bacteria. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 106496.
16. Guo, X., Lin, H., Xu, S., & He, L. (2022). Recent Advances in Spectroscopic Techniques for the Analysis of Microplastics in Food. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 70(5), 1410-1422.
17. Wang, D., Yang, J., Pandya, J., Clark, J. M., Harrington, L. C., Murdock, C. C., & He, L. (2022). Quantitative age grading of mosquitoes using surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Analytical Science Advances, 3(1-2), 47-53.
1. Gukowsky, J. C., Yang, T., & He, L. (2022). Assessment of three SERS approaches for studying E. Coli O157: H7 susceptibility to ampicillin. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 264, 120239.
2. Shen, Y., Borgatta, J., Ma, C., Singh, G., Tamez, C., Schultes, N.P., Zhang, Z., Dhankher, O.P., Elmer, W.H., He, L. and Hamers, R.J., (2022). Role of Foliar Biointerface Properties and Nanomaterial Chemistry in Controlling Cu Transfer into Wild-Type and Mutant Arabidopsis thaliana Leaf Tissue. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 70(14), 4267-4278.
3. Lin, H., Dai, H., & He, L. (2022). Toward a greener approach to detect inorganic arsenic using the Gutzeit method and X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Analytical Science Advances, 3(9–10), 262–268. https://doi.org/10.1002/ansa.202200014
4. Zhang, Z., Lin, H., Ma, C., Zhang, L., Zelevinsky, J., Xia, M., Xu, Y., White, J. C., Tyson, J., & He, L. (2021). Integrating the Gutzeit method with X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy for rapid quantification of inorganic arsenic in selected beverages. Food Control, 121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107588
5. Zhou, H.; Zheng, B.; Zhang, Z.; Zhang, R.; He, L.; McClements, D. J., Fortification of Plant-Based Milk with Calcium May Reduce Vitamin D Bioaccessibility: An In Vitro Digestion Study. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2021. 69, 4223.
6. Zhang, Z., Shang, H., Xing, B., & He, L. (2021). In-situ and Real Time Investigation of Foliarly Applied Silver Nanoparticles on and in Spinach Leaves by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Mapping. Analytical Methods, https://doi.org/10.1039/D1AY00346A.
7. Wang, P.; Sun, Y.; Li, X.; Wang, L.; Xu, Y.; He, L.; Li, G., Recent Advances in Dual Recognition Based Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering for Pathogenic Bacteria Detection: A Review. Analytica Chimica Acta 2021, 338279.
8. Rojas, L. M.; Qu, Y.; He, L., A facile solvent extraction method facilitating surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic detection of ochratoxin A in wine and wheat. Talanta 2021, 224, 121792.
9. Pandya, J. K.; Dai, H.; He, L., An innovative filtration based Raman mapping technique for the size characterization of anatase titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Talanta 2021, 224, 121836.
10. Lin, Z.; Gao, S.; Yang, J. S.; Qu, Y.; Zhang, Z.; He, L., A filtration-assisted approach to enhance optical detection of analytes and its application in food matrices. Food chemistry 2021, 338, 127814.
11. Li, Y.; Zhao, C.; Lu, C.; Zhou, S.; Tian, G.; He, L.; Bao, Y.; Fauconnier, M.-L.; Xiao, H.; Zheng, J., Simultaneous determination of 14 bioactive citrus flavonoids using thin-layer chromatography combined with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Food chemistry 2021, 338, 128115.
12. Hickey, M. E.; He, L., SERS imaging analyses of bacteria cells among plant tissues. Talanta 2021, 225, 122008.
13. Guo, H.; Han, F.; Shang, H.; Xiong, S.; Huynh, M.; Thistle, L.; Meng, L.; He, L.; Xing, B., New insight into naturally formed nanosilver particles: role of plant root exudates. Environmental Science: Nano 2021. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0EN01188F
14. Du, X.; Chen, H.; Zhang, Z.; Qu, Y.; He, L., Headspace analysis of shelf life of postharvest arugula leaves using a SERS-active fiber. Postharvest Biology and Technology 2021, 175, 111410.
15. Zhao, B.; Yang, T.; Qu, Y.; Mills, A. J.; Zhang, G.; He, L., Rapid capture and SERS detection of triclosan using a silver nanoparticle core–protein satellite substrate. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 716, 137097.
16. Zhang, Z.; Xia, M.; Ma, C.; Guo, H.; Wu, W.; White, J. C.; Xing, B.; He, L., Rapid organic solvent extraction coupled with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic mapping for ultrasensitive quantification of foliarly applied silver nanoparticles in plant leaves. Environmental Science: Nano 2020, 7, (4), 1061-1067.
17. Zhang, Y.; Gao, W.; Cui, C.; Zhang, Z.; He, L.; Zheng, J.; Hou, R., Development of a method to evaluate the tenderness of fresh tea leaves based on rapid, in-situ Raman spectroscopy scanning for carotenoids. Food chemistry 2020, 308, 125648.
18. Zhang, Q.; Guo, W.; He, L.; He, L.; Chen, Y.; Shen, X.; Wu, D., A new SERS substrate of self-assembled monolayer film of gold nanoparticles on silicon wafer for the rapid detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Materials Chemistry and Physics 2020, 250, 122994.
19. Wang, P.; Wang, X.; Sun, Y.; Gong, G.; Fan, M.; He, L., Rapid identification and quantification of the antibiotic susceptibility of lactic acid bacteria using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Analytical Methods 2020, 12, (3), 376-382.
20. Vu, T. P.; He, L.; McClements, D. J.; Decker, E. A., Effects of water activity, sugars, and proteins on lipid oxidative stability of low moisture model crackers. Food Research International 2020, 130, 108844.
21. Tu, Q.; Lin, Z.; Liu, J.; Dai, H.; Yang, T.; Wang, J.; Decker, E.; McClements, D. J.; He, L., Multi-phase detection of antioxidants using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with a gold nanoparticle-coated fiber. Talanta 2020, 206, 120197.
22. Qu, Y.; Wang, M.; Huang, S.; Decker, E. A.; McClements, D. J.; He, L., Headspace Characterization and Quantification of Aromatic Organosulfur Compounds in Garlic Extracts Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering with a Mirror-in-a-Cap Substrate. Journal of AOAC International 2020, 103, (5), 1201-1207.
23. Qu, Y.; Tian, Y.; Chen, Y.; He, L., Chemical profiling of red wines using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Analytical Methods 2020, 12, (10), 1324-1332.
24. Qu, Y.; He, L., Development of a facile rolling method to amplify an analyte's weak SERS activity and its application for chlordane detection. Analytical Methods 2020, 12, (4), 433-439.
25. Ozel, B.; Zhang, Z.; He, L.; McClements, D. J., Digestion of animal-and plant-based proteins encapsulated in κ-carrageenan/protein beads under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Food Research International 2020, 137, 109662.
26. Martinez, L.; He, L., Detection of Mycotoxins in Food Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy: A Review. ACS Applied Bio Materials 2020.
27. Hickey, M. E.; He, L., Understanding and Advancing the 3-mercaptophenylboronic Acid Chemical Label for Optimal Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of Bacteria Populations. ACS Applied Bio Materials 2020, 3, (12), 8768-8775.
28. Hickey, M. E.; Gao, S.; He, L., Comparison of label‐free and label‐based approaches for surface‐enhanced Raman microscopic imaging of bacteria cells. Analytical Science Advances 2020.
29. Gao, W.; Guo, J.; Xie, L.; Peng, C.; He, L.; Wan, X.; Hou, R., Washing fresh tea leaves before picking decreases pesticide residues in tea. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 2020, 100, (13), 4921-4929.
30. Dai, H.; Gao, Q.; He, L., Rapid Determination of Saffron Grade and Adulteration by Thin-Layer Chromatography Coupled with Raman Spectroscopy. Food Analytical Methods 2020, 13, (11), 2128-2137.
31. Zhou, H.; Pandya, J. K.; Tan, Y.; Liu, J.; Peng, S.; Muriel Mundo, J. L.; He, L.; Xiao, H.; McClements, D. J., Role of mucin in behavior of food-grade TiO2 nanoparticles under simulated oral conditions. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2019, 67, (20), 5882-5890.
32. Zhang, Z.; Guo, H.; Ma, C.; Xia, M.; White, J. C.; Xing, B.; He, L., Rapid and efficient removal of silver nanoparticles from plant surfaces using sodium hypochlorite and ammonium hydroxide solution. Food Control 2019, 98, 68-73.
33. Yang, T.; Zhao, B.; He, L., Raman instruments for food quality evaluation. In Evaluation Technologies for Food Quality, Elsevier: 2019; pp 119-143.
34. Yang, T.; Qu, Y.; Hickey, M.; Wang, W.; Zhao, B.; Bi, S.; Zhang, G.; He, L., Mapping of pesticide transmission on biological tissues by surface enhanced Raman microscopy with a gold nanoparticle mirror. ACS applied materials & interfaces 2019, 11, (47), 44894-44904.
35. Yang, T.; Doherty, J.; Guo, H.; Zhao, B.; Clark, J. M.; Xing, B.; Hou, R.; He, L., Real-time monitoring of pesticide translocation in tomato plants by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Analytical chemistry 2019, 91, (3), 2093-2099.
36. Wang, C.; Zhang, Z.; He, L., Development of a headspace solid‐phase microextraction–surface‐enhanced Raman scattering approach to detect volatile pesticides. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 2019, 50, (1), 6-14.
37. Tu, Q.; Yang, T.; Qu, Y.; Gao, S.; Zhang, Z.; Zhang, Q.; Wang, Y.; Wang, J.; He, L., In situ colorimetric detection of glyphosate on plant tissues using cysteamine-modified gold nanoparticles. The Analyst 2019, 144, (6), 2017-2025.
38. Tu, Q.; Hickey, M. E.; Yang, T.; Gao, S.; Zhang, Q.; Qu, Y.; Du, X.; Wang, J.; He, L., A simple and rapid method for detecting the pesticide fipronil on egg shells and in liquid eggs by Raman microscopy. Food Control 2019, 96, 16-21.
39. Lin, Z.; He, L., Recent advance in SERS techniques for food safety and quality analysis: a brief review. Current Opinion in Food Science 2019, 28, 82-87.
40. He, L., Food Chemistry as a Vital Science: Past, Present, Future. In Chemistry’s Role in Food Production and Sustainability: Past and Present, ACS Publications: 2019; pp 231-238.
41. Guo, J.; Tong, M.; Tang, J.; Bian, H.; Wan, X.; He, L.; Hou, R., Analysis of multiple pesticide residues in polyphenol-rich agricultural products by UPLC-MS/MS using a modified QuEChERS extraction and dilution method. Food chemistry 2019, 274, 452-459.
42. Guo, H.; Ma, C.; Thistle, L.; Huynh, M.; Yu, C.; Clasby, D.; Chefetz, B.; Polubesova, T.; White, J. C.; He, L., Transformation of Ag ions into Ag nanoparticle-loaded AgCl microcubes in the plant root zone. Environmental Science: Nano 2019, 6, (4), 1099-1110.
43. Guo, H.; Hamlet, L. C.; He, L.; Xing, B., A field-deployable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) method for sensitive analysis of silver nanoparticles in environmental waters. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 653, 1034-1041.
44. Gao, S.; He, L., Development of a filtration-based SERS mapping platform for specific screening of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry 2019, 411, (29), 7899-7906.
45. Cao, X.; Han, Y.; Li, F.; Li, Z.; McClements, D. J.; He, L.; Decker, E. A.; Xing, B.; Xiao, H., Impact of protein-nanoparticle interactions on gastrointestinal fate of ingested nanoparticles: Not just simple protein corona effects. NanoImpact 2019, 13, 37-43.