Preparation of a selective receptor for carbofuran for the development of a simple optical spot test for its rapid detection using stabilized in air lipid films with incorporated receptor

The present technique describes the preparation of a selective receptor for carbofuran and the development of a simple sensitive spot optical test for the rapid one-shot detection of carbofuran using stabilized lipid films supported on a methacrylate polymer on a glass fiber filter with incorporated artificial receptor. The selective receptor was synthesized by a chemical reaction using a resorcin[4]arene receptor by transforming all the –OH groups into phosphoryl groups. The lipid films without this receptor provided fluorescence under a UV lamp. The use of the receptor in these films quenched this fluorescence and the colour became similar to that of the filters without the lipid films. A drop of aqueous solution of carbofuran provided a “switching on” of the fluorescence which allows the rapid detection of this insecticide at the levels of 10⁻⁹ M concentrations. The effect of potent interferences included a wide range of compounds. The results showed no interferences from these compounds in concentration levels usually found in real samples. The effect of interference of proteins and lipids was also examined. The reproducibility of the method was checked in about 100 samples and all of them were found to provide similar results. The device was tested/evaluated in real samples of fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Note that the colours of the filters remain stable for periods of more than 2 months.     

Electrochemical Biosensor for Naphthalene Acetic Acid in Fruits and Vegetables Based on Lipid Films with Incorporated Auxin‐binding Protein Receptor Using Graphene Electrodes

The present work describes a miniaturized potentiometric naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) sensor on graphene nanosheets with incorporated lipid films. Auxin‐binding protein 1 receptor immobilized on the stabilized lipid films provided adequate selectivity for detection over a wide range of hormone concentrations, fast response time of ca. 5 min, and detection limit of 10 nM. The proposed sensor is easy to construct and exhibits good reproducibility, reusability, selectivity, long shelf life and high sensitivity of ca. 56 mV/decade of hormone concentration. The reliability of the biosensor was successfully evaluated using a wide range of NAA‐spiked fruits and vegetables.     

Construction of a simple optical sensor based on air stable lipid film with incorporated urease for the rapid detection of urea in milk

This work describes the construction of a simple optical sensor for the rapid, selective and sensitive detection of urea in milk using air stable lipid films with incorporated urease. The lipid film is stabilized on a glass filter by polymerization using UV (ultra-violet) radiation prior its use. Methacrylic acid was the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate was the crosslinker and 2,2′-azobis-(2-methylpropionitrile) was the initiator. Urease is incorporated within this mixture prior to the polymerization. The presence of the enzyme in these films quenched this fluorescence and the colour became similar to that of the filters without the lipid films. A drop of aqueous solution of urea provided a “switching on” of the fluorescence which allows the rapid detection of this compound at the levels of 10⁻⁸ M concentrations. The investigation of the effect of potent interferences included a wide range of compounds usually found in foods and also of proteins and lipids. These lipid membranes were used for the rapid detection of urea in milk.     

QuEChERS/HPLC/DAD法同时检测果蔬中多种植物激素残留

采用高效液相色谱法,建立了同时分析玉米素(Z)、赤霉酸(GA)、多效唑(PBZ)、4-氟苯氧乙酸(4-FPA)、4-氯苯氧乙酸(4-CPA)、吲哚-3-乙酸(IAA)、吲哚-3-丁酸(IBA)、6-苄氨基嘌呤(6-BA)、脱落酸(ABA)、萘乙酸(NAA)、氯吡脲(CPPU)、2,4-二氯苯氧乙酸(2,4-D)及2,4,5-三氯苯氧乙酸(2,4,5-T)13种植物激素含量的方法。采用含0.5%甲酸的80%乙腈进行提取,分散固相萃取吸附剂(C18和硅藻土)进行净化,选取Waters XBridge C_(18)色谱柱,以乙腈-水为流动相进行梯度洗脱,二极管阵列检测器200~400nm检测,外标法定量。结果表明,13种植物激素在50 min内可实现基线分离,在线性范围内的相关系数(r)为0.992 1~0.999 3;加标回收率为68.4%~95.1%;相对标准偏差(RSD)均小于5%;方法的检出限为0.005~0.020 mg/kg;定量下限为0.01~0.09 mg/kg。该方法前处理操作快速、简便,具有良好的灵敏度、精密度和回收率,适用于果蔬的质量监控。     

Preparation of a Selective Receptor for Ephedrine for the Rapid Electrochemical Detection of Ephedrine in Human Urine Using Stabilized in Air Lipid Films with Incorporated Ephedrine Receptor

The present technique describes the preparation of a selective receptor for ephedrine and a technique for the rapid electrochemical detection of ephedrine in human urine using lipid films with incorporated receptor that are synthesized by a chemical reaction with a methacrylate polymer on a glass fiber filter. The selective receptor was synthesized using a resorcin[4]arene receptor and by transforming all the ? OH groups into methoxy groups. Injections of ephedrine were made into flowing streams of a carrier electrolyte solution and a transient current signal, with duration of seconds, appeared in less than two minutes after exposure of the lipid membranes to the compound. The magnitude of this signal was linearly related to the concentration of this stimulant, which could be determined at micromolar levels. The effect of potent interferences including a wide range of compounds usually found in human urine (i.e., ascorbic aid, glucose, leucine, glycine, tartrate, citrate, bicarbonate and caffeine) was examined. Also, the effect of proteins and lipids was investigated. The results showed that there were no interferences from all these constituents in concentration levels usually found in human urine samples. Dopamine was also investigated as a potent interferent. The results have shown that the transformation of the hydroxy to methoxy groups has increased the selectivity of the receptor towards ephedrine and decreased it towards dopamine which does not cause and interference at concentration levels lower than of 10^?3 M. Urine samples provided similar results and allowed the development of a technique for the rapid electrochemical detection of this stimulant in human urine at the levels of 10^?6 M concentrations. The reproducibility of the method was checked in about 100 samples.     

液相色谱法检测水果蔬菜中的烟碱类农药残留

建立了果蔬样品中5种烟碱类农药(噻虫嗪、吡虫啉、啶虫脒、噻虫啉、噻虫胺)残留的液相色谱快速检测方法。样品采用乙腈提取,浓缩,水转溶后经ENVI-18固相萃取柱净化,0.02 mol/L NaOH预淋洗除去柱上中等极性干扰物,100%乙腈1 mL洗脱5种烟碱类残留,反相高效液相色谱-二极管阵列检测器检测。在黄瓜空白基质中0.1~1.0 mg/kg的加标浓度范围内,5种农药的回收率为50.8%~108.9%,相对标准偏差(RSD)小于15%;而苹果、梨、香蕉、西红柿和韭菜空白基质在0.1~1.0 mg/kg添加水平下,5种农药的回收率均大于80%,RSD小于11%。所测试的6种果蔬样品中噻虫嗪、噻虫胺、吡虫啉的检出限(LOD)为0.01~0.02 mg/kg,啶虫咪和噻虫啉的LOD为0.03~0.05 mg/kg,方法可满足水果蔬菜中烟碱类农药多残留分析的要求。     

Real-time quantification for sulfite using a turn-on NIR fluorescent probe equipped with a portable fluorescence detector

Sulfur dioxide and its derivative sulfite widely existed in air, water as the environment pollutant. Sulfite is also commonly used as preservative and additive in fresh fruits, vegetables, wines and pharmaceutical materials. Due to sulfite is closely related with human diseases, it is very urgent for the sensitive and rapid quantification of sulfite in various samples. In our study, a turn-on near infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe (MDQ) was developed for sulfite detection based on a Michael addition reaction, with high sensitivity (LOD 4.16 nmol/L), selectivity and fast response time (400 s). Using MDQ, a quantify method for sulfite in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) was developed with the advantages of high precision, accuracy and convenient operation. Furthermore, according to the photophysical property of MDQ, a portable fluorescence detector is designed to quantify sulfite for TCMs and surface water in Dalian city of China. Therefore, the developed fluorescent probe MDQ and portable fluorescent detector as a rapid inspection instrument were successfully used to real-time monitor the sulfite in various complex samples.     

Biosensors for the Rapid Repetitive Detection of Adrenaline Using Stabilized Bilayer Lipid Membranes (BLMs) with Incorporated Calix[4]resorcinarene Receptor

This work uses lipid film based biosensors with incorporated calix[4]resorcinarene receptor (lipophilic macrocyclic host molecule) for the rapid electrochemical detection of adrenaline. Freely‐suspended and metal supported BLMs (composed of egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) and 35% (w/w) dipalmitoyl phosphatidic acid) modified with the resorcin[4]arene receptor were used as one shot sensors to rapidly detect this catecholamine. The interactions of this compound with freely‐suspended BLMs were found to be electrochemically transduced in the form of a transient current signal with duration of seconds, which reproducibly appeared about 14 s after exposure of the membranes to adrenaline. The response time for these BLMs without incorporated receptor for adrenaline was about 1.5 min. The magnitude of the transient current signal was related to the concentration of adrenaline in bulk solution in the micromolar range. Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) experiments were performed to explore the mechanism of interactions of BLMs with incorporated receptor with adrenaline. The interactions of adrenaline with surface‐stabilized bilayer lipid membranes (sBLMs) with incorporated receptor produced electrochemical ion current increases, which reproducibly appeared within a few seconds after exposure of the membranes to the stimulant. The use of the receptor in sBLMs increased the sensitivity of the method 6‐fold. The current signal increases were related to the concentration of adrenaline in bulk solution in the micromolar range. Stabilized lipid membranes formed by polymerization on glass fiber microfilters were used as practical chemical biosensors for the rapid detection of adrenaline. The interactions of polymerized lipid films with adrenaline were also found to provide transient current signals similar to those of freely‐suspended BLMs. The magnitude of the transient current signal was also related to the concentration of the stimulating agent in bulk solution in the micromolar range and these stabilized lipid films can be used again after storage in air. No interferences from ascorbic acid were noticed because of the negatively charged lipids in membranes. The effect of other compounds such as proteins and other compounds closely related to adrenaline was also investigated. Results of recovery experiments using human urine have shown recoveries ranged between 94 to 105%, which shows no interferences from matrix effects due to the presence of urine constituents. The present sensor based on stabilized lipid films can be used for the rapid repetitive detection of this pharmaceutical substance and keep prospects for the selective determination of catecholamines in biofluids.     

Analysis of pyrethroid pesticides in Chinese vegetables and fruits by GC–MS/MS

A rapid and economical method using modified QuEChERS sample pretreatment coupled with high-sensitivity gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was established to simultaneously determine ten pyrethroid pesticides in fruits and vegetables. All pesticides were detected within 20 min of one injection. Concurrent backflushing provided column protection, greatly facilitating instrument maintenance. For quantitation, matrix-matched calibration was used to compensate for signal-enhancement effects and to ensure the precision of the method. The limit of detection (LOD) was in the range of 0.3–4.9 μg/kg. The recovery rate was from 78.8 to 118.6%, with relative standard deviation (RSD) below 14.8%. The developed method is suitable for rapid and sensitive multi-residue analysis of pyrethroid pesticides in fruits and vegetables. It is good for users in professional institutions that implement safety controls for testing hundreds of agricultural product samples everyday.     

Determination of naphthalene-derived compounds in apples by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Naphthylacetic acid, naphthyloxy acetic acid and naphthylacetamide belong to a group of synthetic substances known as “auxin-like” compounds which are used as growth regulators in vegetables and fruits due to their structure similarities with the indoleacetic acid, the most important plant auxin. This paper reports a selective, sensitive and fast ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) method for the determination of naphthylacetamide (NAD) and the isomers (α and β) of naphthylacetic acid (NAA) and naphthyloxy acetic (NOA) acid in apple samples. A baseline separation between the respective isomers was achieved using an RP-Amide column with gradient elution. The UHPLC-MS/MS method developed, using electrospray and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) acquisition mode led to a reliable determination of these family of compounds in apple samples at low quantitation levels, down to 1.0 μg kg⁻¹ and 0.25 μg kg⁻¹ respectively. For confirmation of NAA accurate mass measurement is proposed giving at these conditions quantitation limits of 10 μg kg⁻¹ for this compound. The UHPLC-MS/MS method developed was used for the analysis of apple samples harvested in three different apple fields from Lleida (Spain) during the blooming period. NAD and NAA were found in samples collected during 4–5 weeks after application at concentrations between the quantification limits and 43 μg kg⁻¹ and 24 μg kg⁻¹, respectively.     

Development of an Electrochemical Biosensor for the Rapid Detection of Cholera Toxin Based on Air Stable Lipid Films with Incorporated Ganglioside GM1 Using Graphene Electrodes

The present work describes a miniaturized potentiometric cholera toxin sensor on graphene nanosheets with incorporated lipid films. Ganglioside GM1, the natural cholera toxin receptor, immobilized on the stabilized lipid films, provided adequate selectivity for detection over a wide range of toxin concentrations, fast response time of ca. 5 min, and detection limit of 1 nM. The proposed sensor is easy to construct and exhibits good reproducibility, reusability, selectivity, long shelf life and high sensitivity of ca. 60 mV/decade of toxin concentration. The method was implemented and validated in lake water samples. This novel ultrathin film technology is currently adapted to the rapid detection of other toxins that could be used in bioterrorism.     

Automatic determination of phylloquinone in vegetables and fruits using on-line photochemical reduction and fluorescence detection via solid phase extraction and flow injection

A very simple, rapid and highly sensitive flow injection fluorimetric method was developed for the determination of phylloquinone. The assay was based on the on-line reduction of phylloquinone in dodecylsulfate micelles after irradiation with UV light. The micellar medium enhanced the fluorescence and stability of the reduced phylloquinone. Under optimum experimental conditions, the range of application of the technique was between 0.09 and 45.0 μg mL⁻¹ and the detection limit was 0.05 μg mL⁻¹. The sample throughput was 90 injections per hour. The reliability of the method for the routine analysis of phylloquinone in vegetables and fruits is demonstrated. Extractions were made with hexane, and an automated solid phase extraction system was used to purify the sample extracts prior to injection into the flow injection manifold.     

QuEChERS-液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定果蔬中16种农药残留

建立了果蔬中吡虫啉、咪鲜胺、苯醚甲环唑、嘧菌酯、噻虫嗪等16种常见农药多残留的液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS/MS)分析方法。以乙腈为提取剂,样品经高速匀浆方法提取后,提取液采用液-液萃取静置分层,取上清液进行净化处理。比较了石墨化碳-氨基复合固相萃取与QuEChERS两种不同净化技术的净化效果,最终确定采用QuEChERS方法为净化手段。即提取液经装有150 mg N-丙基乙二胺(PSA)填料、900 mg无水硫酸镁的净化管净化,除去样品中大部分的色素及有机酸等干扰基质,再经LC-MS/MS分析,有效地降低了样品中的复杂基质所带来的背景干扰。加标水平为5、10、20 μg/kg时,16种农药的平均回收率为75%~111%,相对标准偏差小于16%。16种农药的检出限为0.2~5 μg/kg。采用LC-MS/MS定性分析、基质匹配标准曲线法定量分析,线性关系和回收率结果均令人满意。实验证明,建立的QuEChERS净化与LC-MS/MS相结合的检测方法具有快速、准确、灵敏度高等优点,能够准确测定果蔬中16种农药残留。     

Determination of phytohormones in plant samples based on the precolumn fluorescent derivatization with 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-aminozide-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene by HPLC for routine use

Six phytohormones including indole butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 2,4-dichloro-phenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), and salicylic acid (SA) in crude plant extractions have been quantitated by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection based on the precolumn derivatization using 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-aminozide-difluoroboradiaza-s-indacene (BODIPY-aminozide), a fluorescent reagent synthesized in our lab recently. The optimization of derivatization conditions was carefully studied by an L(25) (5(6)) orthogonal array design (OAD) with five factors at five levels that are important influence parameters in the improvement of derivatization efficiency. The separation conditions were also studied in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limits (S/N=3) of the six phytohormones were found from 0.12 to 0.75 nM. The proposed method was the first investigation of aminozide for the analysis of phytohormones and has been successfully applied to the determination of phytohormones in plant samples such as cucumber and tomato with recoveries of 94-105%.     

Determination of benzimidazolic fungicides in fruits and vegetables by supramolecular solvent-based microextraction/liquid chromatography/fluorescence detection

A supramolecular solvent consisting of vesicles, made up of equimolecular amounts of decanoic acid (DeA) and tetrabutylammonium decanoate (Bu₄NDe), dispersed in a continuous aqueous phase, is proposed for the extraction of benzimidazolic fungicides (BFs) from fruits and vegetables. Carbendazim (CB), thiabendazole (TB) and fuberidazole (FB) were extracted in a single step and no clean-up or concentration of extracts was needed. The high extraction efficiency obtained for BFs was a result of the different types of interactions provided by the supramolecular solvent (e.g. hydrophobic and hydrogen bonds) and the high number of solubilisation sites it contains. Besides simple and efficient, the proposed extraction approach was rapid, low-cost, environment friendly and it was implemented using conventional lab equipments. The target analytes were determined in the supramolecular extract by LC/fluorescence detection. They were separated in a Kromasil C₁₈ (5 μm, 150 mm × 4.6 mm) column using isocratic elution [mobile phase: 60:40 (v/v) 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 4)/methanol] and quantified at 286/320 nm (CB) and 300/350 nm (TB and FB) excitation/emission wavelengths, respectively. Quantitation limits provided by the supramolecular solvent-based microextraction (SUSME)/LC/fluorescence detection proposed method for the determination of CB, TB and FB in fruits and vegetables were 14.0, 1.3 and 0.03 μg kg⁻¹, respectively, values far below the current maximum residue levels (MRLs) established by the European Union, i.e. 100-2000 μg kg⁻¹ for CB, 50-5000 μg kg⁻¹ for TB and 50 μg kg⁻¹ for FB. The precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, for inter-day measurements (n = 13) was 3.3% for CB (50 μg kg⁻¹), 3.5% for TB (10 μg kg⁻¹) and 2.8% for FB (0.5 μg kg⁻¹) and recoveries for fruits (oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, grapefruits, apples, pears and bananas) and vegetables (potatoes and lettuces) fortified at the μg kg⁻¹ level were in the interval 93-102%.     

PSA分散固相萃取液相色谱荧光法测定蔬菜和水果中的灭定威

以PSA分散固相萃取净化，液相色潜柱分离，直接荧光法测定灭定威，研究建立了测定蔬菜、水果中灭定威的分析方法。在仪器最佳测定条件下，灭定威的检出限为2．98pg，在所测定的含量范围内灭定威的含量与峰面积之间的相关系数为1．000，保留时间的卡甘对标准偏差为0．64％：PSA分散固卡相萃取法与氨基柱固相萃取法卡相比，操作简单，基体干扰少，结果准确可靠，重复性好。实际样品中灭定威的平均回收率在89％～112％之间，测得量的相对标准偏差在1．6％～5．6％之间，测定结果令人满意。     

A rapid multiresidue method for determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables by using acetonitrile extraction/partitioning and solid-phase extraction column cleanup

A modification of a rapid and inexpensive multiresidue method for determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables (QuEChERS method) is presented. Samples were extracted by shaking with acetic acid-acetonitrile (1 + 99). Water was removed by liquid-liquid partitioning with magnesium sulfate and sodium acetate. The extract was subjected to a single solid-phase extraction (SPE) column cleanup, which produced a cleaner extract than did the dispersive SPE cleanup used in the original QuEChERS method. Recovery data were obtained for 316 pesticide residues, at levels ranging from 20 ppb to 1.0 ppm. Data were provided by 3 different laboratories. The modified QuEChERS method resulted in a 65% reduction in solvent usage, when compared with the traditional multiresidue methods previously used in our laboratories.     

High-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry study of ginkgolic acid in the leaves and fruits of the ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba)

A method is developed for qualitative analysis of ginkgolic acids in the leaves and fruits of Ginkgo biloba by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry technique. Negative ionization mode is successful in obtaining a very abundant deprotonated molecule [M - H]-. The mass detection sensitivity is higher than ultraviolet detection but relies heavily on the concentration of acetic acid in the HPLC eluent, which consists of acetonitrile-water-acetic acid. The method is also very specific for the analysis of ginkgolic acid with no interferences from the sample matrix.     

便携式农药残留毒性快速测试仪--水果和蔬菜农药残留动力学速测方法

研制了一种新型的化学动力学测试仪器,适用于水果和蔬菜农药残留毒性的测试。阐述了根据农药的毒理学机制所进行的仪器设计原理,了满足设计要求的关键技术和测试方法,该仪器测定速度快,试剂费用低廉,其灵敏度的敌敌畏≤０．３ｍｇ／Ｌ,甲胺磷≤１．５ｍｇ／Ｌ。     

Applications of LC/ESI-MS/MS and UHPLC QqTOF MS for the determination of 148 pesticides in fruits and vegetables

This paper presented the applications of liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) and ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC QqTOF MS) for the determination of 148 pesticides in fruits and vegetables. Pesticides were extracted from fruits and vegetables using a buffered QuEChERS method. Quantification was achieved using matrix-matched standard calibration curves with isotopically labeled standards or a chemical analog as internal standards in an analytical range from 5 to 500 μg/kg. The method performance parameters including overall recovery, intermediate precision, and measurement uncertainty were evaluated according to a statistically designed experiment, i.e., a nested design. For LC/ESI-MS/MS, 95% of the pesticides had recoveries between 81% and 110%; 97% had an intermediate precision ≤20%; and 95% (in fruits) or 93% (in vegetables) showed measurement uncertainty ≤40%. Compared to LC/ESI-MS/MS, UHPLC QqTOF MS showed a relatively poor repeatability and large measurement uncertainty. About 93% (in fruits) or 94% (in vegetables) of the pesticides had recoveries between 81% and 110%; 86% (in fruits) or 90% (in vegetables) had an intermediate precision ≤20%; and 79% (in fruits) or 88% (in vegetables) showed measurement uncertainty ≤40%. LC/ESI-MS/MS proved to be the first choice for quantification or pre-target analysis due to its superior sensitivity and good repeatability. UHPLC QqTOF MS provided accurate mass measurement and isotopic patterns, and was an ideal tool for post-target screening and confirmation.