Sensing of Furfural by Molecularly Imprinted Polymers on Plasmonic and Electrochemical Platforms
The goal of this work is to test the possibility of selective detection of furfural (2-FAL) in aqueous solutions, with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) receptor exploiting two different transduction methods, for food safety applications. In particular, sensors with electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) transduction are considered. Two concentration ranges could be investigated by the different sensing approaches since the detectable concentration level depends on the sensitivity of the detection technique employed. The determination of 2-FAL at different concentration levels in the aqueous medium of interest, as for example beverages, is becoming a very crucial task not only for the relevance of furanic compounds in affecting the flavor but also for their possible toxic and carcinogenic effects on the human beings. For these reasons, their determination by a fast, easy and low-cost method is of interest. The sensor methods here proposed appears to be particularly suitable, since, although together and not individually, they allow the determination in a wide concentration range.