Nitrophenylboronic Acids as Highly Chemoselective Probes To Detect Hydrogen Peroxide in Foods and Agricultural Products

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2011-11, Vol.59 (21), p.11403-11406
• Main Authors: Lu, Chun-Ping, Lin, Chieh-Ti, Chang, Ching-Ming, Wu, Shih-Hsiung, Lo, Lee-Chiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: absorption; acids; Analytical Methods; beans; Biological and medical sciences; bleaching; Boronic Acids - chemistry; colorimetry; Colorimetry - methods; Food Analysis - methods; Food industries; food industry; Food Preservatives - analysis; foodborne illness; foods; Fruit and vegetable industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - analysis; isomers; rapid methods; reaction kinetics; Sensitivity and Specificity; sterilizing
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf202874r

Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used in the food processing industry as a chlorine-free bleaching and sterilizing agent, but excessive amounts of residual hydrogen peroxide have led to cases of food poisoning. Here we describe the development of a novel nonenzymatic colorimetric method for the determination of residual hydrogen peroxide in foods and agricultural products. Nitrophenylboronic acids chemoselectively react with hydrogen peroxide under alkaline conditions to produce yellow nitrophenolates. Of the three nitrophenylboronic acid isomers tested, the p-isomer displayed the highest sensitivity for hydrogen peroxide and the fastest reaction kinetics. The reaction product, p-nitrophenolate, has an absorption maximum at 405 nm and a good linear correlation between the hydrogen peroxide concentration and the A 405 values was obtained. We successfully applied this convenient and rapid method for hydrogen peroxide determination to samples of dried bean curds and disposable chopsticks, thereby demonstrating its potential in foods and agricultural industries.