Aflatoxins' Clean-Up in Food Samples by Graphene Oxide-Polyvinyl Poly Pyrrolidone-Hollow Fiber Solid-Phase Microextraction

The present investigation reports the synthesis of graphene oxide-polyvinyl poly pyrrolidone composite and its application in the extraction of aflatoxins in food samples. This composite was successfully synthesized and characterized with analytical instruments such as UV-Vis, FITR, XRD, and SEM techniques. The extraction was carried out by reinforced hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Various parameters that affect the productivity of the present technique were exhaustively explored, and the quantifications were carried out under the optimized states. The limits of detection (LODs) were found to be 0.33, 0.10, 0.37, and 0.10 ng g(-1), and limits of quantification (LOQs) were 1.10, 0.33, 1.24, and 0.33 ng g(-1), respectively, for aflatoxins B-1, B-2, G(1), and G(2). The accuracy of the present method was determined based on the relative recovery (RR%) of the aflatoxins and the RR% of aflatoxins B-1, B-2, G(1), and G(2) which were found to be quite good (between 60.20 and 108.20 for 1 ng g(-1) and between 62.02 and 95.39 for 5 ng g(-1)) in food samples. Applicability of the sorbent for the separation and quantification of the above-mentioned aflatoxins from food samples were examined. The developed method is straightforward, reliable, and effective, and has been successfully applied in determination of aflatoxins from food samples. Graphic abstract