Electrochemical Detection of Food Antioxidants

Antioxidants are routinely added to foodstuffs to inhibit oxidative degradation of lipids and other labile components, preserving nutritional value, sensory attributes and shelf life. Electrochemical detection exploits redox reactions at electrode surfaces to quantify these compounds with high sensitivity, rapid response and minimal sample preparation. A variety of phenolic antioxidants—both synthetic (for example, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene and tert-butylhydroquinone) and natural (including flavonoids and polyphenols)—have been targeted. Electrodes modified with nanostructured materials such as metal nanoparticles, carbon nanostructures, conductive polymers and covalent organic frameworks enhance electron transfer, lower overpotentials and improve analytical figures of merit. Techniques such as cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and amperometry provide linear detection ranges spanning nanomolar to millimolar levels, with limits of detection often below parts-per-billion. These sensors have been applied to real food and oil matrices, offering portable, low-cost solutions for quality control, regulatory compliance and consumer safety monitoring on a global scale.

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Electrochemical Detection of Food Antioxidants publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical detection of food antioxidants across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Electrochemical detection: Analytical method where electrical signals arising from oxidation or reduction of analytes at an electrode interface are measured to quantify their concentration.

Voltammetry: Electroanalytical technique in which current is recorded while the electrode potential is systematically varied, allowing characterisation and quantification of redox-active species.

Covalent organic framework (COF): Highly ordered, porous polymeric network formed by strong covalent bonds, used to increase electrode surface area and introduce catalytic active sites.

Ratiometric sensor: Sensor design that compares the signal of the target analyte with an internal reference signal, improving quantitative accuracy and compensating for external fluctuations.

References

1. Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Peach Extract Incorporated in Graphene for the Electrochemical Determination of Antioxidant Butylated Hydroxyanisole in Food Matrices. Biosensors (2023).
2. Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Detection of Butylated Hydroxy Anisole via Metalloporphyrin Covalent Organic Frameworks Possessing Variable Catalytic Active Sites. Biosensors (2022).
3. Ratiometric Electrochemical Sensor Applying SWCNHs/T-PEDOT Nanocomposites for Efficient Quantification of Tert-Butylhydroquinone in Foodstuffs. Foods (2024).