molecules-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Analytical Methods for Food and Environmental Pollutants: Current and Future Perspectives

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Analytical Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 3792

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Escuela Politécnica Superior, University of Seville, C/Virgen de África 7, E-41011 Seville, Spain
Interests: analytical chemistry; food and environmental chemistry; method development; sample preparation; chromatographic techniques; chemometrics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Química Analítica, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Sevilla, C/Virgen de África 7, E-41011 Sevilla, Spain
Interests: environmental analytical chemistry; separation methods (GC-MS/MS, LC–MS/MS); sample treatment; priority and emerging pollutants (organic compounds, metals and radioisotopes)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Modern analytical chemistry has been described as an effort to detect an increasing number of exotic and emerging contaminants at trace levels. The acquisition of accurate chemical data in food and environmental systems and effective management of pollutants are essential for food quality and safety and for environmental preservation, respectively. This special issue aims to cover the most significant developments and innovative use of analytical methods to investigate relevant pollutants. Contributions focusing on the following areas of pollutant analysis are warmly invited:

  • Sampling (passive sampling, improving sample representativeness).
  • Sample preparation (new developments for enhanced solvent extractions, alternative phases for sorptive extractions, new configurations and strategies in microextractions).
  • Analytical instrumentation (hyphenated techniques using mass spectrometry for organic pollutants, atomic spectrometry for trace metals and metalloids, sensors and biosensors in field pollution control).
  • Chemometric tools (quantitative methods and statistical evaluation).
Dr. Julia Martín

Prof. Dr. Esteban Alonso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • emerging pollutants
  • food samples
  • environmental samples
  • sampling
  • sample preparation
  • analytical instrumentation
  • chemometric tools

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 1625 KiB  
Article
Systematic Comparison of Extract Clean-Up with Currently Used Sorbents for Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction
by Michelle Peter and Christoph Müller
Molecules 2024, 29(19), 4656; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194656 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 569
Abstract
Dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) is a crucial step for multiresidue analysis used to remove matrix components from extracts. This purification prevents contamination of instrumental equipment and improves method selectivity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. Therefore, a clean-up step is recommended, but an over-purified extract can [...] Read more.
Dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) is a crucial step for multiresidue analysis used to remove matrix components from extracts. This purification prevents contamination of instrumental equipment and improves method selectivity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. Therefore, a clean-up step is recommended, but an over-purified extract can lead to analyte loss due to adsorption to the sorbent. This study provides a systematic comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the well-established dSPE sorbents PSA, GCB, and C18 and the novel dSPE sorbents chitin, chitosan, multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), and Z-Sep® (zirconium-based sorbent). They were tested regarding their clean-up capacity by visual inspection, UV, and GC-MS measurements. The recovery rates of 98 analytes, including pesticides, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and emerging environmental pollutants with a broad range of physicochemical properties, were determined by GC-MS/MS. Experiments were performed with five different matrices, commonly used in food analysis (spinach, orange, avocado, salmon, and bovine liver). Overall, Z-Sep® was the best sorbent regarding clean-up capacity, reducing matrix components to the greatest extent with a median of 50% in UV and GC-MS measurements, while MWCNTs had the largest impact on analyte recovery, with 14 analytes showing recoveries below 70%. PSA showed the best performance overall. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 990 KiB  
Article
Multiclass Analysis for the Determination of Pharmaceuticals and Their Main Metabolites in Leafy and Root Vegetables
by Carmen Mejías, Marina Arenas, Julia Martín, Juan Luis Santos, Irene Aparicio and Esteban Alonso
Molecules 2024, 29(15), 3471; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29153471 - 24 Jul 2024
Viewed by 889
Abstract
The irrigation of soils with reclaimed contaminated wastewater or its amendment with sewage sludge contributes to the uptake of pharmaceuticals by vegetables growing in the soil. A multiresidue method has been devised to determine five pharmaceuticals and nine of their main metabolites in [...] Read more.
The irrigation of soils with reclaimed contaminated wastewater or its amendment with sewage sludge contributes to the uptake of pharmaceuticals by vegetables growing in the soil. A multiresidue method has been devised to determine five pharmaceuticals and nine of their main metabolites in leafy and root vegetables. The method employs ultrasound-assisted extraction, clean-up via dispersive solid-phase extraction, and analysis through liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Box–Behnken design was used to refine variables such as extraction solvent volume, time of extraction, number of extraction cycles, and the type and amount of d-SPE sorbent. The method achieved linearity (R2) greater than 0.994, precision (relative standard deviation) under 16% for most compounds, and detection limits ranging from 0.007 to 2.25 ng g−1 dry weight. This method was applied to a leafy vegetable (lettuce) and to a root vegetable (carrot) sourced from a local market. Parent compounds were detected at higher concentrations than their metabolites, with the exception of carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 1653 KiB  
Article
Sorption of Polycyclic Aromatic Sulfur Heterocycles (PASH) on Nylon Microplastics at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations
by Stephanie D. Nauth and Andres D. Campiglia
Molecules 2024, 29(7), 1653; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29071653 - 7 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1181
Abstract
Microplastics have garnered an infamous reputation as a sorbate for many concerning environmental pollutants and as a delivery vehicle for the aquatic food chain through the ingestion of these contaminated small particulates. While sorption mechanisms have been extensively studied for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, [...] Read more.
Microplastics have garnered an infamous reputation as a sorbate for many concerning environmental pollutants and as a delivery vehicle for the aquatic food chain through the ingestion of these contaminated small particulates. While sorption mechanisms have been extensively studied for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) have not been investigated, partly due to their low concentrations in aquatic ecosystems. Herein, an analytical methodology is presented for the analysis of dibenzothiophene, benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-b]thiophene, benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-b]thiophene, benzo[b]naphtho[2,3-b]thiophene, chryseno[4,5-bcd]thiophene and dinaphtho[1,2-b:1′,2′-d]thiophene at relevant environmental concentrations based on solid phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. The sorption uptake behavior and the sorption kinetics of the three benzo[b]napthothiophene isomers were then investigated on nylon microplastics to provide original information on their environmental fate and avoid human contamination through the food chain. The obtained information might also prove relevant to the development of successful remediation approaches for aquatic ecosystems. Full article
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop