Simultaneous detection of carmoisine and tartrazine in food samples using GO-Fe3O4-PAMAM and ionic liquid based electrochemical sensor

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the simultaneous detection of carmoisine and tartrazine, two food azo dyes, with a new voltammetric sensor based on graphene oxide-Fe3O4 (GO-Fe3O4) nanocomposite functionalized with fourth-generation poly(amidoamine) (G4 PAMAM) dendrimers (GO-Fe3O4-G4 PAMAM) and ionic liquid (IL) modified carbon paste electrode (GO-Fe3O4-G4 PAMAM/ILCPE). The GO-Fe3O4-G4 PAMAM was synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), and fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) techniques. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to evaluate the electrochemical behavior of carmoisine, revealing the good electrocatalytic function of GO-Fe3O4-G4 PAMAM/ILCPE. Linear response from 0.1 to 170.0 μM was obtained based on carmoisine electrochemical oxidation through differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The limit of detection (LOD) value obtained was 0.02 μM. Also, the GO-Fe3O4-G4 PAMAM/ILCPE was used for the simultaneous determination of carmoisine and tartrazine. In co-existence system containing carmoisine and tartrazine, the developed sensor exhibited well-defined and separate DPV peaks (i.e., 770 mV) for carmoisine and tartrazine. Besides, repeatability, reproducibility and stability studies were performed. Additionally, the analytical application of this sensor was demonstrated by determination of carmoisine and tartrazine in food samples including lemon juice and powdered juice.