Electroanalysis of tert-butylhydroquinone in food products using a paste electrode enlarged with single wall carbon nanotubes as

In this study, an electrochemical sensor was introduced as a simple and fast electroanalytical tool to monitor and sensing of tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) in food products. The suggested electrochemical sensor is fabricated by modification of paste electrode (PE) by single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as nanocatalyst. The oxidation current of TBHQ was improved by about 2.62 times and its oxidation potential was reduced by about 50 mV after using SWCNTs as conductive catalyst on a carbon paste matrix. The oxidation current of TBHQ showed a linear dynamic range of 0.05 to 390 mu M in the sensing process using SWCNTs/PE as the electroanalytical sensor. On the other hand, SWCNTs/PE successfully monitored TBHQ with a detection limit of 10 nM at optimum conditions. The real sample analysis data clearly showed a recovery range of 97.2 to 104.3 %, which is very interesting for a new analytical tool in the food-sensing process.

Automated summary

In this study, an electrochemical sensor using single wall carbon nanotubes as a nanocatalyst was developed for monitoring and sensing TBHQ in food products. The sensor showed improved oxidation current and reduced oxidation potential for TBHQ, with a linear dynamic range of 0.05 to 390 μM and a detection limit of 10 nM.