Development of a molecularly imprinted polymer electrochemical sensor and its application for sensitive detection and determination of malathion in olive fruits and oils

• Published in: Bioelectrochemistry (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Netherlands), 2020-04, Vol.132, p.107404, Article 107404
• Main Authors: Aghoutane, Youssra, Diouf, Alassane, Österlund, Lars, Bouchikhi, Benachir, El Bari, Nezha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acrylamide; Atomic force microscopy; Chemical sensors; Chemistry with specialization in Analytical Chemistry; Cholinesterase; Cholinesterase inhibitors; Corrosion inhibitors; Electrochemical analysis; Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; Electrochemical sensor; Electrochemical Techniques - instrumentation; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Engineering Science with specialization in Materials Science; Environmental impact; Food Contamination - analysis; Food production; Fruits; Imprinted polymers; Insecticides; Insecticides - analysis; Kemi med inriktning mot analytisk kemi; Limit of Detection; Malathion; Malathion - analysis; Microscopy; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Molecular Imprinting; Molecularly imprinted polymer; Morphology; Oils & fats; Olea - chemistry; Olive fruits; Olive oil; Olive Oil - chemistry; Olive oils; Pesticide residues; Pesticides; Polymers; Polymers - chemistry; Reproducibility of Results; Scanning electron microscopy; Screen printed gold electrode; Sensors; Spectroscopy; Teknisk fysik med inriktning mot materialvetenskap; Voltammetry
• ISSN: 1567-5394; 1878-562X; 1878-562X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2019.107404

•Fabrication of an electrochemical sensor based on MIP for malathion determination.•The MIP was characterized with CV, DPV, EIS, AFM and SEM techniques.•Good agreement was achieved between these different characterization techniques.•Lower LOD (0.06 pg mL−1) in a wide range (0.1–1000 pg mL−1) relative to literatures.•The recovery of MAL is in the range of 87.9–113.3% with RSD ≤8%. Malathion (MAL) is an organophosphorus (OP) insecticide. It is a cholinesterase inhibitor, which can pose serious health and environmental problems. In this study, a sensitive and selective molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) based on screen-printed gold electrodes (Au-SPE) for MAL detection in olive oils and fruits, was devised. The MIP sensor was prepared using acrylamide as the functional monomer and MAL as the template. Subsequently, the morphology of the electrode surface was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The electrochemical characterization of the developed MIP sensor was performed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The operational repeatability and stability of the sensor were studied. It was found to have a dynamic concentration range of (0.1 pg mL−1-1000 pg mL−1) and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.06 pg mL−1. Furthermore, the sensor was employed to determine MAL content in olive oil with a recovery rate of 87.9% and a relative standard deviation of 8%. It was successfully applied for MAL determination in real samples and promise to open new opportunities for the detection of OP pesticides residues in various food products, as well as in environmental applications.