Electrochemical study of tartrazine on a diethylcarbamazine modified carbon paste electrode surface for enhancing food safety

Abstract

Tartrazine (TZN), a synthetic azo dye, is extensively used in the food and beverage industry and has raised concerns owing to its potential health risks, necessitating the development of rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective detection methods. This study explored the development and application of a polydiethylcarbamazine modified carbon paste electrode (poly-DECZ/ MCPE) for the electrochemical detection of TZN, offering an opportunity for a highly selective and efficient approach for its quantification. The electrode was fabricated through the electropolymerisation of diethylcarbamazine (DECZ) in a 0.2 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.4) using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The electrochemical behaviour of TZN was sys tematically investigated by considering the influences of the scan rate, pH, and concentration variations. The effect of scan rate variation suggests that the oxidation process of TZN is mainly diffusion-controlled, ensuring a reliable signal response. The lower limit of detection (LOD) of TZN was found to be 0.17 µM and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was found to be 0.567 µM using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique. In addition, the sensor demonstrated excellent selectiv ity for accurately detecting TZN in the presence of interfering components. To demonstrate its practical applicability, the modified electrode was successfully employed in the analysis of real samples, such as soft drink formulations. Owing to its high sensitivity, selectivity, and stability, poly-DECZ/MCPE is a promising approach for revealing the presence of tartrazine in different food items.