Advanced nanofibrous sorbents for the extraction of pollutants from river water and protein-containing matrices.

The extraction efficiencies of thirty types of fibers produced by meltblown, alternating current electrospinning, and meltblown-co-electrospinning technologies were tested as advanced sorbents for on-line solid-phase extraction in a high-performance liquid chromatography system have been tested and compared with a commercial C18 sorbent. The properties of each fiber, which were often depended on the production process, and their applicability were demonstrated with the extraction of the model analytes nitrophenols and chlorophenols from various matrices including river water and to purify complex matrix human serum and bovine serum albumin from macromolecular ballast. Polycaprolactone fibers outperformed other polymers and were selected for subsequent modifications including (i) incorporation of hybrid carbon nanoparticles, i.e., graphene, activated carbon, and carbon black into the polymer prior to fiber fabrication, and (ii) surface modification by dip coating with polyhydroxy modifiers including graphene oxide, tannin, dopamine, hesperidin, and heparin. These novel fibrous sorbents were comparable to commercial C18 sorbent and provided excellent analyte recoveries of 70-112% even from the protein-containing matrices.

Comparing adsorption performance of microfibers and nanofibers with commercial molecularly imprinted polymers and restricted access media for extraction of bisphenols from milk coupled with liquid chromatography.

Advanced solid phase extraction (SPE) fibrous sorbents including polyethylene, polypropylene poly (hydroxybutyrate), and polyamide 6 nanofibers, polycaprolactone microfibers/nanofibers, polycaprolactone microfibers/polyvinylidene difluoride nanofibers, and poly (hydroxybutyrate) microfibers/polypropylene microfibers composites, as well as commercial molecularly imprinted polymers and restricted access media sorbent were compared in terms of bisphenols extraction from milk and their clean-up efficiency. Three on-line SPE-HPLC methods were completely validated for the extraction and detection of bisphenols A, AF, C, A diglycidyl ether, and F diglycidyl ether in bovine milk. Polycaprolactone composite nanofibers compared favorably to restricted access media, enabled excellent clean-up of bisphenols from the proteinaceous matrix, and yielded recoveries 98.0-124.5% and 93.0-115.0%, respectively, with RSD less than 10%. Total analysis time including on-line SPE step lasted only 12 min, which represents a significant reduction in time compared with previously reported as well as official European Union and AOAC methods defined for the determination of bisphenols in various matrices.

Determination of Ochratoxin A and Ochratoxin B in Archived Tokaj Wines (Vintage 1959-2017) Using On-Line Solid Phase Extraction Coupled to Liquid Chromatography.

According to the EU legislation, ochratoxin A contamination is controlled in wines. Tokaj wine is a special type of sweet wine produced from botrytized grapes infected by "noble rot" Botrytis cinerea. Although a high contamination was reported in sweet wines and noble rot grapes could be susceptible to coinfection with other fungi, including ochratoxigenic species, no screening of Tokaj wines for mycotoxin contamination has been carried out so far. Therefore, we developed an analytical method for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) and ochratoxin B (OTB) involving online SPE coupled to HPLC-FD using column switching to achieve the fast and sensitive control of mycotoxin contamination. The method was validated with recoveries ranging from 91.6% to 99.1% with an RSD less than 2%. The limits of quantification were 0.1 and 0.2 µg L-1 for OTA and OTB, respectively. The total analysis time of the online SPE-HPLC-FD method was a mere 6 min. This high throughput enables routine analysis. Finally, we carried out an extensive investigation of the ochratoxin contamination in 59 Slovak Tokaj wines of 1959-2017 vintage. Only a few positives were detected. The OTA content in most of the checked wines did not exceed the EU maximum tolerable limit of 2 µg L-1, indicating a good quality of winegrowing and storing.

Preparation of citrinin-selective molecularly imprinted polymer and its use for on-line solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography.

A new selective molecularly imprinted polymer has been prepared and used for extraction in on-line SPE-HPLC to achieve the selective determination of citrinin. Four different imprinted polymers varying in combinations of components were prepared by bulk polymerization and evaluated in terms of binding capacity and selectivity. Imprinted polymer prepared from a mixture comprising 1-hydoxy-2-naphtoic acid as the template molecule, acrylamide as the structural monomer, ethylene dimethacrylate as the cross-linker (in a molar ratio of 1:4:16), and acetonitrile as the porogenic solvent exhibited the best properties. The selectivity of this sorbent was confirmed by comparison with the non-imprinted counterpart prepared using the same polymerization carried out in the absence of template. Imprinted polymer was packed in a 20 × 3 mm i.d. steel cartridge and coupled to the on-line SPE-HPLC system through a six-port switching valve. The method for determination of citrinin including the on-line extraction step was then developed and validated. The sample in the form of methanolic extract was loaded, cleaned, and preconcentrated in the imprinted SPE cartridge. Subsequent separation of citrinin from residual interferences was achieved using the analytical column Kinetex Biphenyl 100 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 µm particle size, and fluorescence detection (Ex 335, Em 500 nm). The total analysis time was only 9.50 min. Our fully validated method was also applied to analysis of food supplements based on red yeast rice extracts, the control of which is implemented in European legislation. Only minor yet acceptable contamination was found in tested samples.