Integration of miniaturized sample preparation and molecularly imprinted polymers in food analysis

Abstract

The use of innumerable chemical compounds in food production to enhance agricultural quality and yield has raised significant global concerns regarding food safety. To address these concerns, miniaturized solid sample preparation techniques have emerged as an appealing strategy for analyzing chemical residues in complex samples, notably those found in food matrices. The efficacy of these miniaturized solid extraction procedures hinges largely on the choice of the sorbent phase. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been introduced as highly selective and versatile sorbent phases for a wide range of miniaturized solid techniques. Their remarkable selectivity is attributed to the creation of distinct cavities during the synthesis process, which subsequently accommodate the target analyte when the sample is applied. This unique characteristic empowers MIP polymers to exhibit exceptional specificity toward the desired analyte. The use of MIPs as sorbent phases in miniaturized sample preparation methods has shown great potential to increase the analytical performance of residue evaluation in food matrices. Therefore, here we present a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of miniaturized solid sample techniques employing MIPs as sorbent phases for the assessment of residues in food samples. Moreover, this review is primarily on recent reports concerning the application of MIPs in solid-phase microextraction (SPME), in-tube SPME, microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS), disposable pipette extraction (DPX), solid-phase extraction in pipette tip (SPE-PT) and stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE). Lastly, we will bring some future topics concerning the use of MIPs in miniaturized sample preparation methods for food analysis in order to bring some new avenues for enhancing food products' safety and quality assessment.