Abstract
A polymer film–modified electrode for caffeine determination by electrooxidation has been developed by electropolymerising 7-amino-4-hydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonic acid on a glassy carbon electrode. Comparison of the response at the bare and modified electrodes using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry showed the electrocatalytic effect of the polymer film in reducing the potential needed for caffeine oxidation, as well as increasing the current response signal. Under optimised conditions, this simply prepared modified electrode led to detection and quantification limits of caffeine of 0.23 µM and 0.78 µM, respectively, and a linear dynamic range of 10–500 µM. The developed method also showed excellent repeatability and reproducibility in addition to operational stability, with no significant change in response after fifty continuous measurements. The performance of the electrode was successfully demonstrated by analysing the caffeine content in instant coffee and in commercial beverages.
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Funding
The authors thank Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, project PTDC/QEQ-QAN/2201/2014, in the framework of Project 3599-PPCDT, co-financed by the European Community Fund FEDER, and CEMMPRE, project UIDB/00285/2020 by FEDER funds through the program COMPETE – Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade, and by national funds through FCT. A.G. is grateful to the Coimbra Group for its support through Coimbra Group Short Stay Scholarship Programme for young researchers from Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Alemnew Geto declares that he has no conflict of interest. Christopher M.A. Brett declares that he has no conflict of interest.
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Geto, A., Brett, C.M.A. Electrochemical Sensor for Caffeine in Coffee and Beverages Using a Naphthalene Sulfonic Acid Polymer Film–Based Modified Electrode. Food Anal. Methods 14, 2386–2394 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-021-02078-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-021-02078-1