Modified jute for adsorption and in situ reduction to prepare metal nanozymes for nitrite detection.

Nitrite, a common food additive and environmental pollutant, poses potential health risks, making its accurate detection essential for food safety. This study reports a nanozyme platform based on modified jute loaded with platinum nanoparticles (Pt/MJT) for the colorimetric detection of nitrite. The Pt/MJT nanozyme exhibits exceptional catalytic activity and selectivity. The catalytic reaction kinetics of this nanozyme conforms to the Michaelis-Menten model, with a low Michaelis constant (Km = 0.39 mM) and a high maximum reaction rate (Vmax = 23.57 × 10^-7 M/s), outperforming many previously reported nanozyme materials. The linear detection range is 10-300 μM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.71 μM. Importantly, the practical applicability of this platform for nitrite detection in food matrices, including sausages and kimchi, has been successfully demonstrated, showing satisfactory recovery and precision. This work provides a novel approach for rapid, on-site nitrite detection in the food industry.