Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites based dispersive solid phase microextraction for trace determination of profenofos in white rice flour samples

Light harvesting enhancement through band structure engineering in graphite carbon nitride / polydopamine nanocomposite photocatalyst: Addressing persistent organophosphorus pesticide pollution in water systems

Organophosphorus pesticides, particularly profenofos (PF), pose a significant threat to the food supply and human health due to their persistence, toxicity, and resistance to natural breakdown processes. An urgent need exists for an environmentally friendly solution, and photocatalysis emerges as a practical, cost-effective option. However, challenges like poor light responsiveness and difficulties in material separation and reusability persist. To address these issues, we developed a nanocomposite consisting of graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) doped with polydopamine (pDA) through a hydrothermal synthesis method. This innovative nanocomposite was employed as a photocatalyst to degrade PF. Various analytical techniques, including UV-DRS, FT-IR, XRD, HR-TEM, and EDAX, were utilized to characterize the synthesized nanocomposite. The strategically modulated band gaps of the nanocomposite enable efficient absorption of UV light, facilitating the robust photocatalytic degradation of PF (96.4%). Our study explored photodegradation using different g-C3N4/pDA catalyst dosages, varied PF concentrations, and pH levels (3, 5, 9, and 11) under UV light. Our findings promise applications in wastewater management, offering an efficient catalyst for PF degradation. This marks a significant stride in addressing challenges related to pesticide pollution in the environment.

Colorimetric and fluorescent probes for the rapid detection of profenofos in farmland system

Colorimetric and fluorescent sensors were developed for the detection of profenofos. The colorimetric assay relied on the aggregation of cysteine modified gold nanoparticles (Au-cys) composite caused by the hydrogen bond and Au-S bond between profenofos and Au-cys. The further addition of S, N-doped carbon quantum dots (CDs) (fluorescence quantum yield up to 98%) into the Au-cys system depended on the change of fluorescence intensity of Au-cys-CDs owing to the inner filter effect between Au-cys and CDs. Under the optimal conditions, the sensor exhibits good linearity within 0.2-1.2 mg L^-1 and 20-320 μg L^-1, and limit of detection of 21.7 μg L^-1 and 5.5 μg L^-1 in colorimetry and fluorescence mode, respectively. The developed sensor did not only possess favorable selectivity and sensitivity, but also feasibility of usage in the actual detection of profenofos in farmland system samples.

Determination of profenofos in seawater and foodstuff samples after its molecularly imprinted polymer pipette-tip micro solid phase extraction optimized by response surface methodology

Background

In this research, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized and employed as a sorbent for pipette-tip micro solid phase extraction of profenofos insecticide in seawater, rice, and fish samples. The instrument employed for quantitation was spectrophotometry.

Results

Various factors affecting the microextraction protocol, including type and volume of the elution solvent, weight of MIP, pH and volume of sample solution, and number of cycles of loading and desorption were considered and optimized using one-factor-at-a-time, central composite design and Box-Behnken design. Factors optimized at: pH 4.0, amount of sorbent 2.5 mg, volume of methanol:acetic (9:1) acid as eluent 250 µL, both the number of extraction and elution cycles 5, and volume of sample 8.0 mL. At optimized conditions, an enrichment factor of 31 was achieved and the linearity range of the method was between 1.0 and 1000.0 µg/L. A good detection limit of 0.33 µg/L with a reproducibility better than 5.6% (as RSD) was observed.

Conclusion

The technique showed good analytical features for determination of profenofos in seawater, rice, and fish samples. Simplicity of operation of spectrophotometry and lack of using expensive HPLC grade solvents are other points of strengths of this method. The total analysis time was about 10 min, which is far less than techniques such as HPLC. Comparison between optimization with central composite design and Box–Behnken design showed better performance of the former.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13065-022-00807-z.

Nanoparticles Based Extraction Strategies for Accurate and Sensitive Determination of Different Pesticides

Sample preparation methods have become indispensable steps in analytical measurements not only to lower the detection limit but also to eliminate the matrix effect although more sophisticated instruments are being commonly used in routine analyses. Solid phase extraction (SPE) is one of the main extraction/preconcentration methods used to extract and purify target analytes along with simple and rapid procedures but some limitations have led to seek for an easy, sensitive and fast extraction methods with analyte-selective sorbents. Nanoparticles with different modifications have been used as spotlight to enhance extraction efficiency of target pesticides from complicated matrices. Carbon-based, metal and metal oxides, silica and polymer-based nanoparticles have been explored as promising sorbents for pesticide extraction. In this review, different types of nanoparticles used in the preconcentration of pesticides in various samples are outlined and examined. Latest studies in the literature are discussed in terms of their instrumental detection, sample matrix and limit of detection values. Novel strategies and future directions of nanoparticles used in the extraction and preconcentration of pesticides are also discussed.

Review: Microextraction Technique Based New Trends in Food Analysis

Food chemistry is the study and classification of the quality and origin of foods. The identification of definite biomarkers and the determination of residue contaminants such as toxins, pesticides, metals, human and veterinary drugs, which are a very common source of food-borne diseases. The food analysis is continuously demanding the improvement of more robust, sensitive, highly efficient, and economically beneficial analytical approaches to promise the traceability, safety, and quality of foods in the acquiescence with the consumers and legislation demands. The traditional methods have been used at the starting of the 20th century based on wet chemical methods. Now it existing the powerful analytical techniques used in food analysis and safety. This development has led to substantial enhancements in the analytical accuracy, precision, sensitivity, selectivity, thereby mounting the applied range of food applications. In the present decade, microextraction (micro-scale extraction) pays more attention due to its futures such as low consumption of solvent and sample, throughput analysis easy to operate, greener, robotics, and miniaturization, different adsorbents have been used in the microextraction process with unique nature recognized with wide range applications.

A rapid, sensitive and accurate determination of cobalamin with double monitoring system: HPLC-UV and HPLC-ICP-OES

This study proposed a novel analytical method for the separation and determination of cobalamin and cobalt in kefir samples by high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-OES) in addition to determination of cobalamin in HPLC system. Chromatographic parameters such as column type, buffer solution, mobile phase flow rate and sample injection volume were individually studied and optimized. In addition, cobalamin was simultaneously determined by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). LOD values of cobalt in cobalamin and cobalt for HPLC-ICP-OES system were calculated as 0.07 mg/kg (as Co) and 0.06 mg/kg, respectively. Recovery studies were conducted to evaluate the accuracy/applicability of the method. Recovery results for cobalt in cobalamin and cobalt detected by the HPLC-ICP-OES system were calculated in the range of 87.4-100.1 and 98.8-115.0%, respectively while recovery results for cobalamin were found to be between 89.2 and 98.3% for HPLC-UV system.