Ionic liquids technology for the analysis of residues and chemical contaminants in açaí-based products (Euterpe oleracea Mart.): An approach for the extraction and validation of analytical methods

Abstract

Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is among the most produced fruits in Brazil, and its consumer market is expanding rapidly. One of the main factors responsible for the expansion of açaí production is related to the increase of its consumption on both domestic and international markets. Among the contaminants that can be found in açaí-based products are included agrochemical residues from environmental contamination, benzophenones, usually from food packaging, 2-methylimidazole (2-MI), and 4-methylimidazole (4-MI), present in açaí pulps that have added ingredients with high amounts of these compounds, such as guaraná syrup. For extraction of these contaminant in food matrix, ionic liquids (ILs) technology has received great attention since they are considered a promising alternative as extraction method. As the chemical variety of ILs has grown, they have been further divided into subclasses, including polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) and magnetic ionic liquids (MILs). PILs and MILs exhibit outstanding potential due to their high versatility. They can be used to extract targeted compounds, removing the analytes from the investigated matrix for subsequent downstream analysis using liquid or gas chromatography. Given this information, this project has the challenge of determining agrochemical residues, benzophenone and its derivatives, 4-ME, and 2-MI from açaí-based products using PILs and MILs combined with microextraction techniques and chromatographic methods. Lastly, these data can be used both by regulatory agencies that investigate and set limits on contaminants in food, as well as by the food industry as a subsidy for preventive and/or corrective actions to mitigate contaminants exposure. (AU)