Preparation of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for the rapid detection of diethylstilbestrol in milk samples

Abstract BACKGROUND Diethylstilbestrol (DES) residues are harmful to human health because of their potential carcinogenic properties. Therefore, it is important to develop a fast and efficient pretreatment method to prevent their harmful effects on human health and the environment. RESULTS In this paper, two types of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) of DES were prepared by bulk polymerization and the sol–gel method, respectively. The synthetic materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Adsorption capacities of the bulk and sol–gel MMIPs were investigated. A rapid detection method was developed using the two types of MMIPs as sorbents, coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography, for the determination of DES residues in milk samples. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detection (S/N = 3) of both methods for DES was 2.0 μg L −1 ; and the linear response range to DES was 0.1–500 mg L −1 . The milk samples were analyzed according to this method with good recoveries of 88.3–97.6 and 90.5–103.5% for the two types of MMIPs, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The method described had high sensitivity and high selectivity, and could prove to be a new method for the rapid determination of DES residues in milk samples. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry