Design of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Based Electrochemical Sensor for Eco-Friendly Determination of Lincomycin in Food Samples

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Researchers from the University of Health Sciences in Turkey have developed a novel electrochemical sensor for the sensitive and selective determination of lincomycin in food samples. The sensor was designed using a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) approach, which involves the creation of a polymer that can selectively bind to the target molecule. The sensor was evaluated for its sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility in the presence of different interfering agents, and its performance was compared to a non-imprinted polymer (NIP) sensor.

Key Takeaways:

  • The MIP-based electrochemical sensor was fabricated using an electropolymerization approach on a glassy carbon electrode, featuring 3-aminophenyl boronic acid as a functional monomer.
  • The sensor's active surface area and porosity were increased using gold nanoparticles, resulting in enhanced sensitivity and selectivity.
  • The dynamic linear range of the sensor was evaluated under optimized experimental conditions, with a range of 1.0 x 10^-1.0 x 10 M for both differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods.
  • The proposed sensor showed good selectivity for lincomycin compared to the NIP sensor, with relative selectivity coefficients (k') of 93.12 for DPV and 91.98 for EIS methods.
  • The sensor was successfully applied to determine lincomycin in milk, apple juice, and orange juice samples, demonstrating its potential for use in real-world applications.
  • The Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI), Analytical Greenness Metric (AGREE), Analytical Greenness preparation (AGREEprep), and Analytical Greenness Assessment Tool for Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Synthesis (AGREEMIP) protocols were used to calculate the study's green profile score, indicating a low environmental impact.

Statistics:

  • The dynamic linear range of the sensor was 1.0 x 10^-1.0 x 10 M for both DPV and EIS methods.
  • The relative selectivity coefficients (k') were 93.12 for DPV and 91.98 for EIS methods.
  • The recovery % values were 97.35-109.9 % for DPV and 98.08-108.56 % for EIS methods.
  • The Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) score was calculated as 0.85.

Sources:

  • Cetinkaya, A. et al. (2025). Design of molecularly imprinted polymer based electrochemical sensor for eco-friendly, selective, and sensitive determination of lincomycin in food samples. Food Chemistry, 488, 144883.
  • NewsRx. (2025, June 9). University of Health Sciences Reports Findings in Antibiotics (Design of molecularly imprinted polymer based electrochemical sensor for eco-friendly, selective, and sensitive determination of lincomycin in food samples). Nanotechnology Weekly, p 4917.