A Simple and Sensitive Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor for Detection of Bongkrekic Acid in Food

Abstract

Bongkrekic acid (BKA) is a highly toxic chemical substance harmful to humans. In this work, a sensitive, selective, and inexpensive imprinted electrochemical sensor for the determination of BKA was developed. The gold nanoparticles-modified ITO electrode (AuNPs/ITO electrode) increases the specific surface area and conductivity ensuring high sensitivity of the sensor. Subsequently, a molecular-imprinted polymer film (MIP) was prepared on the surface of the AuNPs/ITO electrode through in situ electro-polymerization. The BKA-polydopamine MIP (BKA-PDA-MIP) can specifically recognize BKA ensures the high selectivity of the sensor. The higher the BKA concentration, the more occupation on the MIP/AuNPs/ITO electrode surface, so that leads to the lower electron-transfer rate and the smaller the DPV signal. This imprinted electrochemical sensor exhibited a satisfactory detection range from 1 to 400 ng mL⁻¹ and a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.542 ng mL⁻¹. Furthermore, the proposed sensor was successfully applied to detect BKA in real food samples, indicating a good application prospect in actual sample determination.