Green, white and simple polymeric-coated graphite sensor for rapid in situ determination of acrylamide in food products

Acrylamide (ACM) is a food processing contaminant classified as a probable genotoxic and carcinogenic substance for humans. The rapid and economical determination of ACM in food products poses a major challenge for food safety. This research intended to fabricate a simple, selective, and cost-effective polymeric-coated graphite sensor. This potentiometric sensor is suitable for direct and in situ ACM analysis in food products without tedious sample pretreatment procedures. The sensor was successfully developed based on the ion association complex of the ACM cation with sodium tetraphenylborate (TPB) anion as an ion exchange site, using dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as a plasticizer. The sensor demonstrated a fast, stable, selective, and linear Nernstian response (57.45 mV/decade) over a wide concentration range from 1 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻¹ M of ACM, with a detection limit of 1 × 10⁻⁸ M. The sensor’s selectivity behavior, response time, lifetime, pH working range, and fundamental validation parameters were assessed. Compared to a published chromatographic method, the developed sensor operated effectively to determine the ACM content in several food products. Greenness and whiteness were also assessed for the developed sensor, confirming that it is an excellent green and cost-effective option. Furthermore, the developed sensor was compared statistically with recently published ACM sensors to ensure optimal performance.