Determination of alkylphenols in sprouts using magnetic rGO-poly 3-aminophenol for dispersive solid-phase micro-extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The presence of alkylphenolic residues in vegetables could pose a potential food safety risk for humans. The residues of alkylphenols in bean sprouts have not been reported. Magnetic dispersion solid phase extraction (MD-SPE) followed by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed for detecting alkylphenol residues in sprouts. The Fe 3 O 4 @rGO@poly 3-aminophenol composite was first synthesized and used as an effective and regenerate adsorbent for MD-SPE. This method features minimal use of organic reagents, high extraction efficiency, easy recovery via magnetic separation, and the reusability of the adsorbent. The magnetic composite was characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. For optimization of the extraction process, the Plackett-Burman factorial design was employed to to fine-tune multiple parameters of MD-SPE. Additionally, the sensitivity of UPLC-MS/MS enabled the precise quantification of alkylphenols in the sprout samples. This analysis yielded high linearities (R 2  > 0.9989) and recoveries (90.4 %–108.5 %) at three different spiked levels. a minimal matrix effect (7.5 %–12.4 %), impressive limits of detection (0.89–13.62 pg/mL), and reliable reproducibility (intra-day: 2.0 %–13.5 %; inter-day: 0.7 %–11.6 %) were obtained. Thus, a new method was successfully employed for analyzing alkylphenolic residues in vegetables samples, making it a valuable tool for ensuring food safety.