A Simple and Sensitive Imprinted Electrochemical Sensor for Detection of Bongkrekic Acid in Food

Bongkrekic acid (BKA) is a highly toxic chemical substance harmful to humans. In this work, a sensitive, selective, and inexpensive imprinted electrochemical sensor for the determination of BKA was developed. The gold nanoparticles‐modified ITO electrode (AuNPs/ITO electrode) increases the specific surface area and conductivity ensuring high sensitivity of the sensor. Subsequently, a molecular‐imprinted polymer film (MIP) was prepared on the surface of the AuNPs/ITO electrode through in situ electro‐polymerization. The BKA‐polydopamine MIP (BKA‐PDA‐MIP) can specifically recognize BKA ensures the high selectivity of the sensor. The higher the BKA concentration, the more occupation on the MIP/AuNPs/ITO electrode surface, so that leads to the lower electron‐transfer rate and the smaller the DPV signal. This imprinted electrochemical sensor exhibited a satisfactory detection range from 1 to 400 ng mL ⁻¹ and a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.542 ng mL ⁻¹ . Furthermore, the proposed sensor was successfully applied to detect BKA in real food samples, indicating a good application prospect in actual sample determination.