Facile and Selective Determination of Total Phthalic Acid Esters Level in Soft Drinks by Molecular Fluorescence Based on Petroleum Ether Microextraction and Selective Derivation by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>
Determining the level of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in packaged carbonated beverages is a current need to ensure food safety. High-selectivity and -accuracy identification of individual PAEs can be achieved by chromatographic and mass spectrometric (MS) techniques. However, these methods are slow;...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/13/4157 |
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| author | Enqin Xia Ting Yang Xuan Zhu Qing Jia Jun Liu Wenlong Huang Jindong Ni Huanwen Tang |
| author_facet | Enqin Xia Ting Yang Xuan Zhu Qing Jia Jun Liu Wenlong Huang Jindong Ni Huanwen Tang |
| author_sort | Enqin Xia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Determining the level of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in packaged carbonated beverages is a current need to ensure food safety. High-selectivity and -accuracy identification of individual PAEs can be achieved by chromatographic and mass spectrometric (MS) techniques. However, these methods are slow; involve complicated, expensive instruments in professional laboratories; and consume a large amount of organic solvents. As such, a food analysis method is needed to conveniently and rapidly evaluate multiple contaminants on site. In this study, with the assistance of ultrasound, we quickly determined the total PAEs in soft drinks using 1.5 mL of petroleum ether in one step. Then, we determined the characteristic molecular fluorescence spectrum of all PAEs in samples (excitation (Ex)/emission (Em) at 218/351 nm) using selectively concentrated sulfuric acid derivatization. The relative standard deviations of the fluorescent intensities of mixed solutions with five different PAEs were lower than 7.1% at three concentration levels. The limit of detection of the proposed method is 0.10 μmol L<sup>−1</sup>, which matches that of some of the chromatographic methods, but the proposed method uses less organic solvent and cheaper instruments. These microextraction devices and the fluorescence spectrometer are portable and provide an instant result, which shows promise for the evaluation of the total level of PAEs in beverages on site. The proposed method successfully detected the total level of PAEs in 38 kinds of soft drink samples from local supermarkets, indicating its potential for applications in the packaged beverage industry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:26:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43255691112349bf857c8b6e8b43a597 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:26:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-43255691112349bf857c8b6e8b43a5972023-12-01T21:36:20ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492022-06-012713415710.3390/molecules27134157Facile and Selective Determination of Total Phthalic Acid Esters Level in Soft Drinks by Molecular Fluorescence Based on Petroleum Ether Microextraction and Selective Derivation by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>Enqin Xia0Ting Yang1Xuan Zhu2Qing Jia3Jun Liu4Wenlong Huang5Jindong Ni6Huanwen Tang7Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, ChinaDongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, ChinaDongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, ChinaDongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, ChinaDongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, ChinaDongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, ChinaDongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, ChinaDongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, ChinaDetermining the level of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in packaged carbonated beverages is a current need to ensure food safety. High-selectivity and -accuracy identification of individual PAEs can be achieved by chromatographic and mass spectrometric (MS) techniques. However, these methods are slow; involve complicated, expensive instruments in professional laboratories; and consume a large amount of organic solvents. As such, a food analysis method is needed to conveniently and rapidly evaluate multiple contaminants on site. In this study, with the assistance of ultrasound, we quickly determined the total PAEs in soft drinks using 1.5 mL of petroleum ether in one step. Then, we determined the characteristic molecular fluorescence spectrum of all PAEs in samples (excitation (Ex)/emission (Em) at 218/351 nm) using selectively concentrated sulfuric acid derivatization. The relative standard deviations of the fluorescent intensities of mixed solutions with five different PAEs were lower than 7.1% at three concentration levels. The limit of detection of the proposed method is 0.10 μmol L<sup>−1</sup>, which matches that of some of the chromatographic methods, but the proposed method uses less organic solvent and cheaper instruments. These microextraction devices and the fluorescence spectrometer are portable and provide an instant result, which shows promise for the evaluation of the total level of PAEs in beverages on site. The proposed method successfully detected the total level of PAEs in 38 kinds of soft drink samples from local supermarkets, indicating its potential for applications in the packaged beverage industry.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/13/4157phthalic acid estersdeterminationpetroleum ether microextractionmolecular fluorescencesoft drinks |
| spellingShingle | Enqin Xia Ting Yang Xuan Zhu Qing Jia Jun Liu Wenlong Huang Jindong Ni Huanwen Tang Facile and Selective Determination of Total Phthalic Acid Esters Level in Soft Drinks by Molecular Fluorescence Based on Petroleum Ether Microextraction and Selective Derivation by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> Molecules phthalic acid esters determination petroleum ether microextraction molecular fluorescence soft drinks |
| title | Facile and Selective Determination of Total Phthalic Acid Esters Level in Soft Drinks by Molecular Fluorescence Based on Petroleum Ether Microextraction and Selective Derivation by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> |
| title_full | Facile and Selective Determination of Total Phthalic Acid Esters Level in Soft Drinks by Molecular Fluorescence Based on Petroleum Ether Microextraction and Selective Derivation by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> |
| title_fullStr | Facile and Selective Determination of Total Phthalic Acid Esters Level in Soft Drinks by Molecular Fluorescence Based on Petroleum Ether Microextraction and Selective Derivation by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Facile and Selective Determination of Total Phthalic Acid Esters Level in Soft Drinks by Molecular Fluorescence Based on Petroleum Ether Microextraction and Selective Derivation by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> |
| title_short | Facile and Selective Determination of Total Phthalic Acid Esters Level in Soft Drinks by Molecular Fluorescence Based on Petroleum Ether Microextraction and Selective Derivation by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> |
| title_sort | facile and selective determination of total phthalic acid esters level in soft drinks by molecular fluorescence based on petroleum ether microextraction and selective derivation by h sub 2 sub so sub 4 sub |
| topic | phthalic acid esters determination petroleum ether microextraction molecular fluorescence soft drinks |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/13/4157 |
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