Experimentally designed potentiometric sensor for green real-time and direct assay of hazardous bromate in bakery products

Abstract

Bakeries add extra potassium bromate to the dough to make homogeneous, elastic, fluffy bread. Bromate causes renal damage and cancer. FAO/WHO stated that bromate residues shouldn't be in baked products. A potentiometric sensor's membrane recipe was optimized for sensitive and selective bromate assay. We planned a custom experimental design of 21 sensors that included numerical and categorical factors (NPPE: PVC, matrix%, membrane thickness, and ionophore type). We defined sensor performance outcomes (Nernstian slope, quantification limit, correlation coefficient, response time and selectivity), and each sensor's outcome was determined. The computer software developed a predictive model for each outcome and the desirability function suggested the optimum sensor recipe. The sensor achieved a slope of −63.54 mV/decade and detection limit of 2 × 10−6 mol/L. The greenness profile was evaluated by the National Environmental Approach Index protocol. The developed sensor represents a reliable, fast, in-site tool for the assay of bromate in bakery products.