Solid phase extraction of alpha-tocopherol and other physiologically active components from sunflower oil using rationally designed polymers

A rationally designed polymer (RDP) capable of recognizing α-tocopherol and other minor components in sunflower oil has been produced. It is known that sunflower oil is a source of various physiologically active compounds. Unfortunately, they are present in very minor quantities which make their purification from the complex oil matrix problematic. An extraction method presented here was developed with particular attention to the selectivity, efficiency and precision of the extraction process. The methacrylic acid-based RDP in combination with the optimised purification method allowed the extraction of α-tocopherol with 94% recovery. The synthesised polymer was used successfully to extract α-tocopherol together with other essential minor components of sunflower oil without any pre-treatment step. According to GC/MS, the compounds ‘harvested’ from sunflower oil using the developed polymer included palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids, α-tocopherol, campesterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol

Colorimetric biomimetic sensor systems based on molecularly imprinted polymer membranes for highly-selective detection of phenol in environmental samples

Aim. Development of an easy-to-use colorimetric sensor system for fast and accurate detection of phenol in envi- ronmental samples. Methods. Technique of molecular imprinting, method of in situ polymerization of molecularly imprinted polymer membranes. Results. The proposed sensor is based on free-standing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membranes, synthesized by in situ polymerization, and having in their structure artificial binding sites capable of selective phenol recognition. The quantitative detection of phenol, selectively adsorbed by the MIP membranes, is based on its reaction with 4-aminoantipyrine, which gives a pink-colored product. The intensity of staining of the MIP membrane is proportional to phenol concentration in the analyzed sample. Phenol can be detected within the range 50 nM–10 mM with limit of detection 50 nM, which corresponds to the concentrations that have to be detected in natural and waste waters in accordance with environmental protection standards. Stability of the MIP-membrane-based sensors was assessed during 12 months storage at room temperature. Conclusions. The sensor system provides highly-selective and sensitive detection of phenol in both mo- del and real (drinking, natural, and waste) water samples. As compared to traditional methods of phenol detection, the proposed system is characterized by simplicity of operation and can be used in non-laboratory conditions