Development of a Ratiometric Electrochemical Sensor Based on ZIF-8 for the Simultaneous Detection of Tert-butylhydroquinone and Butylated Hydroxyanisole in Edible Oil Samples

Abstract For the first time, a novel electrochemical sensing platform has been developed for the ratiometric and simultaneous detection of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). To achieve this, the ZIF-8 nanostructure was first synthesized and then functionalized with methylene blue (MB) and carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOHs). The resulting ZIF-8, ZIF-8-MB, and ZIF-8-MB-MWCNT nanostructures were analyzed using characterization techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, and FE-SEM. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used to assess the electrochemical performance of the ZIF-8-MB-MWCNT nanocomposite. The sensor exhibited a wide linear detection range of 1 to 1000 μM and an ultra-low detection limit of 0.055 µM for TBHQ and 0.065 µM for BHA, showcasing its exceptional analytical capabilities. TBHQ and BHA were successfully detected in real food samples, with recovery rates ranging from 97.60% to 103.00% proving the sensor’s usefulness and guaranteeing accuracy and dependability.