Recent applications of covalent organic frameworks and their multifunctional composites for food contaminant analysis

The Effects of Cold-Plasma Technology on the Quality Properties of Fresh-Cut Produce: A Review

With improving economic conditions, consumer demand for fresh-cut produce is rising. The development of the fresh-cut industry has been hindered by pathogenic contamination and quality deterioration. Scientific communities have developed novel preservation technologies for fresh-cut produce. As an innovative non-thermal processing method, cold plasma effectively preserves the nutritional value and inactivates pathogens in fresh-cut produce. This review delineates the principles of cold-plasma generation and concludes with the primary factors influencing its efficacy. These factors include the specifications and parameters of the equipment utilized, the properties of the conductive gas utilized, the method of treatment, and the intrinsic properties of a sample subjected to treatment. Furthermore, this review delineates various scenarios for cold-plasma applications. This review focuses on its effects on enzymatic activities (including peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and pectin methylesterase), pathogenic microorganisms, and nutritional value. This review concludes with the potential application of cold-plasma technology in the processing of fresh-cut products. This study proposes advancing plasma technology in fresh-cut produce processing by (1) optimizing cold-plasma parameters for diverse fruit and vegetable varieties and (2) scaling up to facilitate industrial application.

Heavy-Metal Ions Removal and Iodine Capture by Terpyridine Covalent Organic Frameworks

Porous materials are excellent candidates for water remediation in environmental issues. However, it is still a key challenge to design efficient adsorbents for rapid water purification from various heavy metal ions-contaminated wastewater in one step. Here, two robust nitrogen-rich covalent organic frameworks (COFs) bearing terpyridine units on the pore walls by a "bottom-up" strategy are reported. Benefitting from the strong chelation interaction between the terpyridine units and various heavy metal ions, these two terpyridine COFs show excellent removal efficiency and capability for Pb2+, Hg2+, Cu2+, Ag+, Cd2+, Ni2+, and Cr3+ from water. These COFs are shown to remove such heavy metal ions with >90% of contents at one time after the aqueous metal ions mixture is passed through the COF filter. The nitrogen-rich features of the COFs also endow them with the capability of capturing iodine vapors, offering the terpyridine COFs the potential for environmental remediation applications.

Covalent Organic Framework-Involved Sensors for Efficient Enrichment and Monitoring of Food Hazards: A Systematic Review

The food safety issues caused by environmental pollution have posed great risks to human health that cannot be ignored. Hence, the precise monitoring of hazard factors in food has emerged as a critical concern for the food safety sector. As a novel porous material, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have garnered significant attention due to their large specific surface area, excellent thermal and chemical stability, modifiability, and abundant recognition sites. This makes it a potential solution for food safety issues. In this research, the synthesis and regulation strategies of COFs were reviewed. The roles of COFs in enriching and detecting food hazards were discussed comprehensively and extensively. Taking representative hazard factors in food as the research object, the expression forms and participation approaches of COFs were explored, along with the effectiveness of corresponding detection methods. Finally, the development directions of COFs in the future as well as the problems existing in practical applications were discussed, which was beneficial to promote the application of COFs in food safety and beyond.

Tuning the planarity of molecularly imprinted covalent organic frameworks for selective extraction of ochratoxin A in alcohol samples

Here, we report a monomer planarity modulation strategy for room-temperature constructing molecularly imprinted-covalent organic frameworks (MI-COFs) for selective extraction of ochratoxin A (OTA). 2,4,6-triformylphloroglucinol (Tp) was used as basic building block, while three amino monomers with different planarity were employed as modulators to explore the effect of planarity on the selectivity of MI-COFs. The MI-TpTapa constructed from Tp and the lowest planarity of monomer Tapa gave the highest selectivity for OTA, and was further used as the adsorbent for dispersed-solid phase extraction (DSPE) of OTA in alcohol samples. Coupling MI-TpTapa based DSPE with high-performance liquid chromatography allowed the matrix-effect free determination of OTA in alcohol samples with the limit of detection of 0.023 μg kg-1 and the recoveries of 91.4-97.6%. The relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 6) of intra and inter day was <3.2%. This work provides a new way to construct MI-COFs for selective extraction of hazardous targets.

Construction of magnetic azo-linked porous polymer for highly-efficient enrichment and separation of phenolic endocrine disruptors from environmental water and fish

Developing effective methods for highly sensitive detection of phenolic endocrine disruptors (EDCs) is especially urgent. Herein, a magnetic hydroxyl-functional porous organic polymer (M-FH-POP) was facilely synthesized by green diazo-couple reaction using basic fuchsin and hesperetin as monomer for the first time. M-FH-POP delivered superior adsorption performance for phenolic EDCs. The adsorption mechanism was hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interaction and π-π interplay. With M-FH-POP as adsorbent, a magnetic solid phase extraction method was established for extracting trace phenolic EDCs (bisphenol A, 4-tert-butylphenol, bisphenol F and bisphenol B) in water and fish before ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The method displayed low detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.05-0.15 ng mL-1 for water and 0.08-0.3 ng g-1 for fish. The spiked recoveries were 88.3 %-109.8 % with the relative standard deviations of 2.4 %-6.4 %. The method offers a new strategy for sensitive determination of phenolic EDCs in water and fish samples.

Applications of magnetic solid-phase extraction in the sample preparation of natural product analysis (2020-2023)

Sample preparation, including extraction, separation, and purification, is a vital process for natural product analysis. As an attractive sample pretreatment method, magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) has gained plenty of attention, mainly due to its simpler operation, less consumption of organic solvents, and shorter processing time than traditional SPE. This updated review is devoted to summarizing the applications of MSPE based on different magnetic nanomaterials in the analysis of various natural products in complex matrixes, such as biological samples, plants, and Chinese herbal preparations in the past four years (2020-2023). The preparation and fabrication of different materials are briefly introduced. Furthermore, the extraction mechanism and interaction forces between adsorbent and analytes are elaborated, and the advantages and disadvantages of different adsorbents coupled with various analytical methods for MSPE of different natural products are summarized. Moreover, the future trends and opportunities for MSPE in the natural product analysis are discussed. It is expected that this work can provide updated information for future research on the applications of MSPE in such fields.

Nitrogen-rich covalent organic framework as a practical coating for effective determinations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are high-profile organic pollutants to be poisonous, carcinogenic, and mutagenic, and widely distributed at trace levels in the environment. In order to effectively enrich PAHs, two stable covalent organic frameworks (COFs, TAPT-OMe-PDA and TPB-DMTP) were prepared by combining 2,4,6-tri(4-aminophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TAPT) and 1,3,5-tri(4-aminophenyl) benzene (TAPB) with 2,5-dimethoxy-phenyl-1,4-diformaldehyde (OMe-PDA), respectively. Even though the surface area of TAPT-OMe-PDA was much lower than that of TPB-DMTP, it still demonstrated much better extraction efficiencies towards PAHs as the solid phase microextraction (SPME) coating. Therefore, the TAPT-OMe-PDA coated fiber was coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to establish a practical and sensitive method, after the extraction parameters (extraction time, extraction temperature, desorption temperature, desorption time, salt concentration and pH) were optimized. This developed analytical method showed wide linear ranges, low limits of detection, good repeatability and reproducibility. Finally, five PAHs in three water samples were detected and quantified precisely (2.72-38.7 ng·L-1) with satisfactory recoveries (88.3%-118%).

Effective extraction and determination of 24 quinolones in water and egg samples using a novel magnetic covalent organic framework combined with UPLC-MS/MS

The excessive use of quinolones (QNs) has seriously threatened human health. In this study, a novel functionalized magnetic covalent organic framework Fe3O4@SiO2@Ah-COF was fabricated with biphenyl-3,3',5,5'-tetracarbaldehyde and hydrazine hydrate (85%) as monomers and was used as a magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) absorbent for the determination of 24 QNs in water and egg samples through ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The extraction parameters of MSPE were optimized, including pH, adsorbent dosage, adsorption time, and eluent type. An effective and rapid detection method was then established, which showed good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.9990), low limits of detection (0.003-0.036 μg L-1) and low limits of quantitation (0.008-0.110 μg L-1) for QNs. The good recoveries of 24 QNs in water and egg samples were in the range of 70.3-106.1% and 70.4-119.7%, respectively, with relative standard deviations lower than 10% (n = 5). As a result, Fe3O4@SiO2@Ah-COF is a promising magnetic adsorbent, and the established method was successfully applied for the determination of 24 QNs in water and egg samples.

Recent progress in the synthesis and applications of covalent organic framework-based composites

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have historically been of interest to researchers in different areas due to their distinctive characteristics, including well-ordered pores, large specific surface area, and structural tunability. In the past few years, as COF synthesis techniques developed, COF-based composites fabricated by integrating COFs and other functional materials including various kinds of metal or metal oxide nanoparticles, ionic liquids, metal-organic frameworks, silica, polymers, enzymes and carbon nanomaterials have emerged as a novel kind of porous hybrid material. Herein, we first provide a thorough summary of advanced strategies for preparing COF-based composites; then, the emerging applications of COF-based composites in diverse fields due to their synergistic effects are systematically highlighted, including analytical chemistry (sensing, extraction, membrane separation, and chromatographic separation) and catalysis. Finally, the current challenges associated with future perspectives of COF-based composites are also briefly discussed to inspire the advancement of more COF-based composites with excellent properties.

A Recent Advancement in Food Quality Assessment: Using MOF-Based Sensors: Challenges and Future Aspects

Monitoring food safety is crucial and significantly impacts the ecosystem and human health. To adequately address food safety problems, a collaborative effort needed from government, industry, and consumers. Modern sensing technologies with outstanding performance are needed to meet the growing demands for quick and accurate food safety monitoring. Recently, emerging sensors for regulating food safety have been extensively explored. Along with the development in sensing technology, the metal-organic frameworks (MOF)-based sensors gained more attention due to their excellent sensing, catalytic, and adsorption properties. This review summarizes the current advancements and applications of MOFs-based sensors, including colorimetric, electrochemical, luminescent, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and electrochemiluminescent sensors. and also focused on the applications of MOF-based sensors for the monitoring of toxins such as heavy metals, pesticide residues, mycotoxins, pathogens, and illegal food additives from food samples. Future trends, as well as current developments in MOF-based materials.

The application progress of magnetic solid-phase extraction for heavy metal analysis in food: a mini review

The emerging sample pretreatment technique of magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) has drawn the attention of researchers owing to its advantages of less reagent consumption, fast separation/enrichment process, high adsorption capacity, and simple operation. This paper presents a review of synthesis techniques, classification, and analysis procedures for MSPE in the detection of heavy metals in food. Magnetic adsorbents derived from silica, metal oxides, carbon, polymers, etc., are applied for the detection of heavy metals in food. Then, the recent development of the technology of MSPE for the analysis of heavy metal extraction in food is summarized in detail. Finally, the future outlook for the improvement of MSPE is also discussed.

Preparation of COPs Mixed Matrix Membrane for Sensitive Determination of Six Sulfonamides in Human Urine

In this study, TpDMB-COPs, a specific class of covalent organic polymers (COPs), was synthesized using Schiff-base chemistry and incorporated into a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer for the first time to prepare COPs mixed matrix membranes (TpDMB-COPs-MMM). A membrane solid-phase extraction (ME) method based on the TpDMB-COPs-MMM was developed to extract trace levels of six sulfonamides from human urine identified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The key factors affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the proposed method demonstrated an excellent linear relationship in the range of 3.5-25 ng/mL (r2 ≥ 0.9991), with the low limits of detection (LOD) between 1.25 ng/mL and 2.50 ng/mL and the limit of quantification (LOQ) between 3.50 ng/mL and 7.00 ng/mL. Intra-day and inter-day accuracies were below 5.0%. The method's accuracy was assessed by recovery experiments using human urine spiked at three levels (7-14 ng/mL, 10-15 ng/mL, and 16-20 ng/mL). The recoveries ranged from 87.4 to 112.2% with relative standard deviations (RSD) ≤ 8.7%, confirming the applicability of the proposed method. The developed ME method based on TpDMB-COPs-MMM offered advantages, including simple operation, superior extraction affinity, excellent recycling performance, and easy removal and separation from the solution. The prepared TpDMB-COPs-MMM was demonstrated to be a promising adsorbent for ME in the pre-concentration of trace organic compounds from complex matrices, expanding the application of COPs and providing references for other porous materials in sample pre-treatment.

Melamine-participant hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks with strong hydrogen bonds and hierarchical micropores driving extraction of nitroaromatic compounds

Enrichment and detection of trace pollutants in the real matrix are essential for evaluating water quality. In this study, benefiting from the good affinities of 1,3,6,8-tetra(4-carboxylphenyl)pyrene) (H4TBAPy) with itself and melamine (MA) respectively, the composite hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs, MA/PFC-1), PFC-1 self-assembled by 1,3,6,8-tetra(4-carboxylphenyl)pyrene), were successfully constructed by the mild strategy of solvent evaporation at room temperature. Through a series of characterizations, such as Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analyses, and N2 adsorption-desorption, etc., the MA/PFC-1 was confirmed to be a stable and excellent material. In addition, it possessed high surface area, hierarchical micropores, strong hydrogen bonds, and rich function groups containing N and O heteroatoms, since the newly introduced MA could be another hydrogen bonding motif, as well as increased the polarity of reaction solvent. These advantages make MA/PFC-1 be an ideal coating material for solid phase microextraction (SPME). Satisfactory enrichment factors for nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) were got by the MA/PFC-1 fiber under the optimized conditions obtained by the control variables (extraction time of 60 min, extraction temperature of 80 °C, desorption time of 6 min, desorption temperature of 260 °C, pH value of 7, and stirring speed of 250 rpm). MA/PFC-1 was further used to develop an analytical method for NACs based on head-space SPME coupled with gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry (GC‒MS). The developed method with low limits of detection (4.30-20.83 ng L-1) and good reproducibility (relative standard deviations <8.6%). The excellent performance allowed the successful application of the developed method in the determinations of trace NACs in real water samples with recoveries of 80.1%-119%. This study proposed a mild approach to synthesize composite HOFs via doping MA and developed an environmentally friendly method for the precise determinations of NACs in the environment.

Advanced porous organic materials for sample preparation in pharmaceutical analysis

The development of novel sample preparation media plays a crucial role in pharmaceutical analysis. To facilitate the extraction and enrichment of pharmaceutical molecules in complex samples, various functionalized materials have been developed and prepared as adsorbents. Recently, some functionalized porous organic materials have become adsorbents for pharmaceutical analysis due to their unique properties of adsorption and recognition. These advanced porous organic materials, combined with consequent analytical techniques, have been successfully used for pharmaceutical analysis in complex samples such as environmental and biological samples. This review encapsulates the progress of advanced porous materials for pharmaceutical analysis including pesticides, antibiotics, chiral drugs, and other compounds in the past decade. In addition, we also address the limitations and future trends of these porous organic materials in pharmaceutical analysis.

Evaluation of Covalent Organic Frameworks for the low-cost, rapid detection of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli in ready-to-eat salads

BACKGROUND

Ready-to-eat products, such as leafy greens, must be carefully controlled as they are directly consumed without any treatment to reduce the presence of potential pathogens. Food industries, especially those that process products with short shelf-life, demand rapid detection of foodborne pathogens such as Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). In this sense, molecular methods can fulfill both requirements of turnaround time and consumer safety. The most popular rapid methods are those based on real-time PCR (qPCR) however, vegetables contain inhibitory compounds that may inhibit the amplification reaction thus, there is a need for novel sample preparation protocols.

RESULTS

In the current study, a low-cost sample treatment based on sequential filtration steps was developed. This protocol was combined with covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and compared against a chelating resin, to evaluate their performance by multiplex qPCR targeting the major virulence genes of STEC, namely stx1, stx2, and eae, along with the rfbE for the specific identification of serogroup O157 due to its particularly high incidence, and an Internal Amplification Control to assess reaction inhibition. The optimized sample treatment effectively removed vegetable qPCR inhibitory compounds, and it was possible to detect STEC in spiked ready-to-eat salad samples in one working day, roughly 5 h, with an LOD₅₀ of 8.7 CFU/25 g with high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. The method was also assessed in samples with cold-stressed bacteria with good results, further demonstrating its applicability.

SIGNIFICANCE

It was demonstrated for the first time that COFs are suitable for DNA extraction and purification. In addition to this, due to the tunable nature of these materials, it is envisioned that future modifications in terms of pore size or combination with magnetic materials, will allow to further improve their performance. In addition to this, the rapid and low-cost sample treatment protocol developed demonstrated suitable for the rapid screening of STEC vegetable samples.

Covalent organic frameworks assisted for food safety analysis

Food safety incidents threaten human health and life safety. It is an effective method to prevent and control the occurrence of food safety events by enhancing the rapid and sensitive detection of food contaminants. Emerging porous materials provide for the development of efficient and stable detection methods. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are favored by researchers for their highly ordered pore structure, large specific surface area, and good structural and functional designability. Especially in the sensing field, COFs play the roles of carriers, conductors, quenchers, and reporters, and have broad application prospects. To better understand COFs-based sensing studies, this review briefly introduces the characteristics and different functional roles of COFs in food safety analysis, focusing on the applications of COFs in the detection of various food contaminants (including foodborne pathogens, mycotoxins, pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals, and others). Finally, the challenges and opportunities for COFs-based sensing are discussed to facilitate further applications and development of COFs in food safety.

Recent advances and applications of magnetic covalent organic frameworks in food analysis

Recently, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been widely used to prepare magnetic adsorbents for food analysis due to their highly tunable porosity, large specific surface area, excellent chemical and thermal stability and large delocalised π-electron system. This review summarises the main types and preparation methods of magnetic COFs and their applications in food analysis for the detection of pesticide residues, veterinary drugs, endocrine-disrupting phenols and estrogens, plasticisers and other food contaminants. Furthermore, challenges and future outlook in the development of magnetic COFs for food analysis are discussed.

Systematic bio-fabrication of aptamers and their applications in engineering biology

Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that have high affinity and selectivity to bind to specific targets. Compared to antibodies, aptamers are easy to in vitro synthesize with low cost, and exhibit excellent thermal stability and programmability. With these features, aptamers have been widely used in biology and medicine-related fields. In the meantime, a variety of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) technologies have been developed to screen aptamers for various targets. According to the characteristics of targets, customizing appropriate SELEX technology and post-SELEX optimization helps to obtain ideal aptamers with high affinity and specificity. In this review, we first summarize the latest research on the systematic bio-fabrication of aptamers, including various SELEX technologies, post-SELEX optimization, and aptamer modification technology. These procedures not only help to gain the aptamer sequences but also provide insights into the relationship between structure and function of the aptamers. The latter provides a new perspective for the systems bio-fabrication of aptamers. Furthermore, on this basis, we review the applications of aptamers, particularly in the fields of engineering biology, including industrial biotechnology, medical and health engineering, and environmental and food safety monitoring. And the encountered challenges and prospects are discussed, providing an outlook for the future development of aptamers.

Facile preparation of uniform-sized covalent organic framework nanoflowers as versatile sample-pretreatment platforms for sensitive and specific determination of hazardous substances

Covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) have lately received extensive interest for their outstanding performance, especially to adsorption of hazards, while easy-preparation of uniform-sized COFs hold a great challenge. This research presented a simple synthesis method of flower-shaped COF (nanoflower) with strong hydrophobic surface at room temperature. Taking advantage of its easy-prepared and uniform-sized features, we proposed a versatile and efficient sample-pretreatment platform by employing the nanoflower COF for affinity adsorption of various hydrophobic biotoxins and further surface imprinting for selective enrichment of specific biotoxin (COF@MIP), respectively. The COF@MIP was integrating COF with molecular imprinting technique to achieve selective identification of sterigmatocystin (ST) with high specificity and sensitivity. They both exhibited well reusability, preserving 81% of initial activity after being used for six cycles. The as-prepared materials coupled with offline solid phase extraction (SPE) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were successfully applied to five common cereals with good recoveries in the range of 70.3-100.7%. Moreover, the principle of versatile sample pretreatment and detection platform based on the facile-prepared and uniform-sized COF nanoflower would be easily extended to other hazards. It provided a prospective approach for the pretreatment and determination of hazardous substances with low level in complex sample matrix.

trans-Cinnamaldehyde-encapsulated zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 nanoparticle complex solutions to inactivate Escherichia coli O157:H7 on fresh spinach leaves

This study synthesized and characterized ZIF-8 nanoparticles encapsulated with trans-cinnamaldehyde oil (TC) and evaluated their antimicrobial effectiveness against Escherichia coli O157:H7 on fresh spinach leaves. The antimicrobial activity of different mass ratios of TC-encapsulated ZIF-8 against E. coli O157:H7 (ATCC 43895) strain was assessed and the best mass ratio of 1:2 TC to ZIF-8 identified. Spinach leaves were treated with (1) 0.5TC@ZIF-8_PL nanoparticle complexes solution, (2) 200 ppm chlorine, (3) free TC, and (4) sterilized distilled water (control). All sample groups were rinsed for 1 min, dried in a biosafety cabinet, weighted, and packed in sterilized Whirl-pk^TM Stand-Up sampling bags, and stored at 4°C for 15 days for shelf life studies. Samples were dipped into a solution of nanoparticles and another group was sprayed. The quality of spinach samples was assessed by monitoring changes in moisture content (MC), water activity (Aw), color, pH, texture (firmness and work), vitamin C content, total carotenoid, and chlorophyll content. Spinach leaves treated with 0.5TC@ZIF-8_PL had less (p < 0.05) water, total chlorophyll, and total carotenoid losses, with minimal changes in pH. However, treatment did not prevent the color degradation (p > 0.05) and adversely affected spinach firmness. The spinach samples treated with 200 ppm chlorine and free TC had higher (p < 0.05) total chlorophyll degradation than the samples treated with the nanoparticles. The mass ratio of TC-encapsulated ZIF-8 must be readjusted to reduce potential toxicity issues while maintaining the antimicrobial properties. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticle complex can be used to encapsulate natural antimicrobials to inhibit growth of pathogens on fresh produce. A 2-log reduction in populations of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on fresh spinach leaves was achieved using trans-cinnamaldehyde at low concentrations. The results can be used to embed the compounds into polymeric films for antimicrobial packaging applications.

Fabrication of magnetic covalent organic framework for effective and selective solid-phase extraction of propylparaben from food samples

Efficient magnetic solid phase extraction using crystalline porous polymers can find important applications in food safety. Herein, the core-shell Fe₃O₄@COFs nanospheres were synthesized by one-pot method and characterized in detail. The porous COF shell with large surface area had fast and selective adsorption for propylparaben via π-π, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The extraction and desorption parameters were evaluated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the extraction equilibrium was reached only in 5 min, the maximum adsorption capacity for propylparaben was 500 mg g^-1 and the proposed Fe₃O₄@DhaTab-based-MSPE-HPLC-UV method afforded good linearity (4-20000 μg mL^-1) with R² (0.997), low limits of detection (0.55 μg L^-1) and limits of quantification (1.5 μg L^-1). Furthermore, the developed method was applied to determine propylparaben in soft drinks with the recoveries (97.0-98.3%) and relative standard deviations (0.61 to 3.75%). These results revealed the potential of Fe₃O₄@DhaTab as efficient adsorbents for parabens in food samples.

Recent progress in organic-inorganic hybrid materials as absorbents in sample pretreatment for pesticide detection

Sample pretreatment is essential for trace analysis of pesticides in complex food and environment matrices. Recently, organic-inorganic hybrid materials have gained increasing attention in pesticide extraction and preconcentration. This review highlighted the common organic-inorganic hybrid materials used as absorbents in sample pretreatment for pesticide detection. Furthermore, the preparation and characterization of organic-inorganic hybrid materials were summarized. To obtain a deep understanding of adsorption toward target analytes, the adsorption mechanism and absorption evaluation were discussed. Finally, the applications of organic-inorganic hybrid materials in sample pretreatment techniques and perspectives in the future are also discussed.

Advances in Chicken IgY-Based Immunoassays for the Detection of Chemical and Biological Hazards in Food Samples

As antibodies are the main biological binder for hazards in food samples, their performance directly determines the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of the developed immunoassay. The overwhelmingly used mammalian-derived antibodies usually suffer from complicated preparation, high cost, frequent bleeding of animals, and sometimes low titer and affinity. Chicken yolk antibody (IgY) has recently attracted considerable attention in the bioanalytical field owing to its advantages in productivity, animal welfare, comparable affinity, and high specificity. However, a broad understanding of the application of IgY-based immunoassay for the detection of chemical and biological hazards in food samples remains limited. Here, we briefly summarized the diversity, structure, and production of IgY including polyclonal and monoclonal formats. Then, a comprehensive overview of the principles, designs, and applications of IgY-based immunoassays for these hazards was reviewed and discussed, including food-borne pathogens, food allergens, veterinary drugs, pesticides, toxins, endocrine disrupting chemicals, etc. Thus, the trend of IgY-based immunoassays is expected, and more IgY types, higher sensitivity, and diversification of recognition-to-signal manners are necessary in the future.

Cu-Doped Boron Nitride Nanosheets for Solid-Phase Extraction and Determination of Rhodamine B in Foods Matrix

Cu-doped boron nitride nanosheets (Cu-BNNS) were first reported as promising adsorbents for the solid-phase extraction and determination of rhodamine B (RhB) dye in a food matrix. Different characterizations, including XRD, FTIR, XPS, SEM, and TEM, were performed to confirm the formation of the adsorbent. Then, the adsorption performance of Cu-BNNS was investigated by adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics. Multiple extraction parameters were optimized by single-factor experiments. Under optimized conditions, the recoveries in the food matrix were in the range of 89.8–95.4%, with the spiked levels of 100 ng/mL and 500 ng/mL, respectively. This novel system was expected to have great potential to detect RhB in a wide variety of real samples.

Design, Preparation, and Application of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Food Safety Analysis: A Review of Recent Advances

This review (with 126 references) aims at providing an updated overview of the recent developments and innovations of the preparation and application of magnetic nanoparticles for food safety analysis. During the past two decades, various magnetic nanoparticles with different sizes, shapes, and surface modifications have been designed, synthesized, and characterized with the prospering development of material science. Analytical scientists and food scientists are among the ones who bring these novel materials from laboratories to commercial applications. Powerful and versatile surface functional groups and high surface to mass ratios make these magnetic nanoparticles useful tools for high-efficiency capture and preconcentration of certain molecules, even when they exist in trace levels or complicated food matrices. This is why more and more methods for sensitive detection and quantification of hazards in foods are developed based on these magic magnetic tools. In this review, the principles and superiorities of using magnetic nanoparticles for food pollutant analysis are first introduced, like the mechanism of magnetic solid phase extraction, a most commonly used method for food safety-related sample pretreatment. Their design and preparation are presented afterward, alongside the mechanisms underlying their application for different analytical purposes. After that, recently developed magnetic nanoparticle-based methods for dealing with food pollutants such as organic pollutants, heavy metals, and pathogens in different food matrices are summarized in detail. In the end, some humble outlooks on future directions for work in this field are provided.

Recent advances in porous organic frameworks for sample pretreatment of pesticide and veterinary drug residues: a review

Rapid and accurate detection of pesticide and veterinary drug residues is a continuing challenge because of the complex matrix effects. Thus, appropriate sample pretreatment is a crucial step for the effective extraction of the analytes and removal of the interferences. Recently, the development of nanomaterial adsorbents has greatly promoted the innovation of food sample pretreatment approaches. Porous organic frameworks (POFs), including polymers of intrinsic microporosity, covalent organic frameworks, hyper crosslinked polymers, conjugated microporous polymers, and porous aromatic frameworks, have been widely utilized due to their tailorable skeletons and pores as well as fascinating features. This review summarizes the recent advances for POFs to be utilized in adsorption and sample preparation of pesticide and veterinary drug residues. In addition, future prospects and challenges are discussed, hoping to offer a reference for further study on POFs in sample pretreatment.

Current Status and Future Perspectives of Supports and Protocols for Enzyme Immobilization

The market for industrial enzymes has witnessed constant growth, which is currently around 7% a year, projected to reach $10.5 billion in 2024. Lipases are hydrolase enzymes naturally responsible for triglyceride hydrolysis. They are the most expansively used industrial biocatalysts, with wide application in a broad range of industries. However, these biocatalytic processes are usually limited by the low stability of the enzyme, the half-life time, and the processes required to solve these problems are complex and lack application feasibility at the industrial scale. Emerging technologies create new materials for enzyme carriers and sophisticate the well-known immobilization principles to produce more robust, eco-friendlier, and cheaper biocatalysts. Therefore, this review discusses the trending studies and industrial applications of the materials and protocols for lipase immobilization, analyzing their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, it summarizes the current challenges and potential alternatives for lipases at the industrial level.

Applications of covalent organic frameworks and their composites in the extraction of pesticides from different samples

Pesticides are used extensively in a wide range of applications and due to their high rate of consumption, they are ubiquitous in the different media and samples like environment, water sources, air, soil, biological materials, wastes (liquids, solids or sludges), vegetables and fruits, where they can persist for long periods. Pesticides often have hazardous side effects and can cause a range of harmful diseases like Parkinson, Alzheimer, asthma, depression and anxiety, cancer, etc, even at low concentrations. To this end, extraction, pre-concentration and determination of pesticides from various samples presents significant challenges caused by sample complexity and the low concentrations of them in many samples. Often, direct extraction and determination of pesticides are impossible due to their low concentrations and the complexity of samples. The main goals of sample preparation are removing interfering species, pre-concentrating target analyte/s and converting the analytes into more stable forms (when needed). The most popular approach is solid-phase extraction due to its simplicity, efficiency, ease of operation and low cost. This method is based on using a wide variety of materials, among which covalent organic frameworks (COFs) can be identified as an emerging class of highly versatile materials exhibiting advantageous properties, such as a porous and crystalline structure, pre-designable structure, high physical and chemical stability, ease of modification, high surface area and high adsorption capacity. The present review will cover recent developments in synthesis and applications of COFs and their composites for extraction of pesticides, different synthesis approaches of COFs, possible mechanisms for interaction of COFs-based adsorbents with pesticides and finally, future prospects and challenges in the fabrication and utilization of COFs and their composites for extraction of pesticides.

Facile Fabrication of Diatomite-Supported ZIF-8 Composite for Solid-Phase Extraction of Benzodiazepines in Urine Samples Prior to High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A novel diatomite-supported zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 sorbent (ZIF-8@Dt-COOH) was in situ fabricated and developed for solid-phase extraction of three benzodiazepines (triazolam, midazolam and diazepam) in urine followed by high-performance liquid chromatography. ZIF-8@Dt-COOH was easily prepared by coating ZIF-8 on the surface of Dt-COOH and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray powder diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. Compared with bare Dt-COOH, the extraction efficiency of ZIF-8@Dt-COOH for the target was significantly increased from 20.1–39.0% to 100%. Main extraction parameters, including ionic strength and pH of solution, loading volume, washing solution, elution solvent and elution volume, were optimized in detail. Under optimum conditions, the developed method gave linearity of three BZDs in 2–500 ng/mL (r ≥ 0.9995). Limits of detection (S/N = 3), and limits of quantification (S/N = 10) were 0.3–0.4 ng/mL and 1.0–1.3 ng/mL, respectively. In addition, the average recoveries at three spiked levels (5, 10 and 20 ng/mL) varied from 80.0% to 98.7%, with the intra-day and inter-day precisions of 1.4–5.2% and 1.5–8.2%, respectively. The proposed method provided an effective purification performance and gave the enrichment factors of 24.0–29.6. The proposed method was successfully employed for the accurate and sensitive determination of benzodiazepines in urine.

Facile mechanochemistry synthesis of magnetic covalent organic framework composites for efficient extraction of microcystins in lake water samples

Easy-preparation magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbents with excellent extraction performance are very indispensable for MSPE techniques. Herein, a magnetic carbon nanotube covalent organic framework composite (MCNTs@TpPa-1) was prepared simply and rapidly through mechanochemical synthesis as MSPE adsorbent for enriching microcystins (MCs). The synthesized MCNTs@TpPa-1 exhibited well water dispersibility, high affinity with MCs and large surface area, resulting in outstanding extraction performance for MCs. Subsequently, combined with high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), an efficient, sensitive and convenient MSPE method was set up for the determination of trace MCs from aqueous sample, which exhibited acceptable repeatability (RSDs (relative standard deviations) ≤ 6.8%, n = 6), low limits of detection (LODs, 0.8-1.5 pg mL^-1), reliable linearity (R ≥ 0.9991) and broad range of linearity (2.0-1000 pg mL^-1). Furthermore, the developed method was applied to lake samples and trace MCs (9.6-24.6 pg mL^-1) were found with satisfactory recovery (85.0-106.0%). The results indicated powerfully MCNTs@TpPa-1 was of significant potential as an MSPE sorbent for detection of trace MCs in water. Moreover, considering the complexity of traditional preparation methods, novel prospects for preparing magnetic covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with excellent extraction properties were opened up.

Lanthanide ion (Ln3+ )-based upconversion sensor for quantification of food contaminants: A review

The food safety issue has gradually become the focus of attention in modern society. The presence of food contaminants poses a threat to human health and there are a number of interesting researches on the detection of food contaminants. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are superior to other fluorescence materials, considering the benefits of large anti-Stokes shifts, high chemical stability, non-autofluorescence, good light penetration ability, and low toxicity. These properties render UCNPs promising candidates as luminescent labels in biodetection, which provides opportunities as a sensitive, accurate, and rapid detection method. This paper intended to review the research progress of food contaminants detection by UCNPs-based sensors. We have proposed the key criteria for UCNPs in the detection of food contaminants. Additionally, it highlighted the construction process of the UCNPs-based sensors, which includes the synthesis and modification of UCNPs, selection of the recognition elements, and consideration of the detection principle. Moreover, six kinds of food contaminants detected by UCNPs technology in the past 5 years have been summarized and discussed fairly. Last but not least, it is outlined that UCNPs have great potential to be applied in food safety detection and threw new insight into the challenges ahead.

Facile fabrication of magnetic covalent organic frameworks for magnetic solid-phase extraction of diclofenac sodium in milk

A robust magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method based on magnetic covalent organic framework (MCOF) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ultraviolet (UV)/mass spectrometry (MS) was proposed for the determination of trace diclofenac sodium (DS) in milk. The prepared MCOF exhibited high extraction efficiency, which can be attributed to its high specific surface area as well as strong π-π and hydrophobic interactions between MCOF and DS. In addition, the potential influencing factors, including sample volume, adsorbent dosage, extraction time, and elution parameters, were fully estimated. The experimental results demonstrated that the established method was sensitive for the quantification of DS with high accuracy. Remarkably, the detection limit of DS was found to be 10 ng/kg under the optimal conditions. More impressively, the developed method was successfully applied to monitor trace DS in milk, demonstrating its outstanding durability and practical potential as an appealing method to regular monitor trace pharmaceutical contaminants in real food samples.

Synthesis of Magnetic Metal-Organic Frame Material and Its Application in Food Sample Preparation

A variety of contaminants in food is an important aspect affecting food safety. Due to the presence of its trace amounts and the complexity of food matrix, it is very difficult to effectively separate and accurately detect them. The magnetic metal-organic framework (MMOF) composites with different structures and functions provide a new choice for the purification of food matrix and enrichment of trace targets, thus providing a new direction for the development of new technologies in food safety detection with high sensitivity and efficiency. The MOF materials composed of inorganic subunits and organic ligands have the advantages of regular pore structure, large specific surface area and good stability, which have been thoroughly studied in the pretreatment of complex food samples. MMOF materials combined different MOF materials with various magnetic nanoparticles, adding magnetic characteristics to the advantages of MOF materials, which are in terms of material selectivity, biocompatibility, easy operation and repeatability. Combined with solid phase extraction (SPE) technique, MMOF materials have been widely used in the food pretreatment. This article introduced the new preparation strategies of different MMOF materials, systematically summarizes their applications as SPE adsorbents in the pretreatment of food contaminants and analyzes and prospects their future application prospects and development directions.