Selective electrochemical determination of tertiary butylhydroquinone in edible oils based on an in-situ assembly molecularly imprinted polymer sensor.

Developing selective and sensitive methods for tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) detection is of great significance to ensure the quality and safety of food. Herein, an electrochemical sensor was designed for selective and sensitive detection of TBHQ by integrating molecularly imprinted polymer, noble metal nanoparticles and carbon materials. The electrochemical sensor exhibited excellent performance for sensitive determination of TBHQ. The linear range was 0.5-60 µg mL-1 with a low detection limit of 0.046 µg mL-1. In addition, the results obtained by electrochemical method were well agreement with the detection results obtained by HPLC with good recoveries ranging from 99.4 to 108.5% in spiked edible oil samples. The present study not only has theoretical value to establish new methods for rapid detection of food additives but also has potential application values for monitoring the overuse of TBHQ.

Highly Sensitive and Selective Determination of Tertiary Butylhydroquinone in Edible Oils by Competitive Reaction Induced "On-Off-On" Fluorescent Switch.

As one of most common synthetic phenolic antioxidants, tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) has received increasing attention due to the potential risk for liver damage and carcinogenesis. Herein, a simple and rapid fluorescent switchable methodology was developed for highly selective and sensitive determination of TBHQ by utilizing the competitive interaction between the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) effect of carbon dots (CDs)/Fe(III) ions and the complexation reaction of TBHQ/Fe(III) ions. This novel fluorescent switchable sensing platform allows determining TBHQ in a wider range from 0.5 to 80 µg mL(-1) with a low detection limit of 0.01 µg mL(-1). Furthermore, high specificity and good accuracy with recoveries ranging from 94.29 to 105.82% in spiked edible oil samples are obtained with the present method, confirming its applicability for the trace detection of TBHQ in a complex food matrix. Thus, the present method provides a novel and effective fluorescent approach for rapid and specific screening of TBHQ in common products, which is beneficial for monitoring and reducing the risk of TBHQ overuse during food storage.