Newest applications of molecularly imprinted polymers for extraction of contaminants from environmental and food matrices: A review

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the recent applications of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to sample preparation. The review is thought to cover analytical procedures for extraction of contaminants (mainly illegal/noxious organic compounds) from food and environmental matrices, with a particular focus on the various pre-concentration/cleanup techniques, that is offline and online solid-phase extraction (SPE), dispersive SPE (d-SPE), magnetic SPE (MSPE), solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), applied before instrumental quantification. The selectivity and extraction efficiency of MIP-based sorbent phases are critically discussed, also in relation to the physical-chemical properties resulting from the synthetic procedures. A variety of molecularly imprinted sorbents is presented, including hybrid composites embedding carbon nanomaterials and ionic liquids. The analytical performance of MIP materials in sample preparation is commented as function of the complexity of the matrix, and it is compared to that exhibited by (commercial) aspecific and/or immunosorbent phases.

Keywords: Cleanup; Environmental samples; Extraction; Food; Molecularly imprinted polymers; Selectivity.