Preparation, characterization, and applications of chitosan-graphene oxide hybrid sorbents in automated microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS): evaluation of residues and contaminants in food matrices

• Grant number: 23/15675-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Mauro Lanças
• Grantee: Rafael Oliveira Martins
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In the last century, global demand for food has led to the widespread use of chemicals to increase production and meet global food needs. However, due to the adverse effects these compounds can have on human health, the development of analytical methodologies capable of assessing the presence of chemical residues in food has become a global urgency. Miniaturized methodologies such as Microextraction by Packed Sorbent (MEPS) have been applied in the evaluation of different biological matrices, holding untapped potential in food analysis. Furthermore, many MEPS methods still use classical systems based on offline methodologies. Therefore, the application of MEPS in its online version can provide a new perspective for analyzing residues in challenging matrices, such as food. The development of new sorbents is also an international trend, with graphene-based materials, especially graphene oxide, showing significant unexplored potential, especially regarding their modification and application in food analysis. In this context, the modification of graphene oxide with chitosan creates a sorbent with various functional groups, allowing multiple interactions with different classes of analytes. Despite its promise, its use in food analysis is still under-documented. Thus, the project aims to develop, characterize, and employ chitosan-graphene oxide-based sorbents in new devices for the MEPS technique. The commercially available system does not allow the replacement of commercial sorbents with new materials. These sorbents will be used in the development, validation, and application of new online MEPS-LC-MS/MS methods for the determination of residues and contaminants in food samples. (AU)