Benzidine-Based Chemosensors for Copper and Mercury Detection in Vegetable Juice

Overview

Dhawale and Trivedi (2025) develop benzidine-based small-molecule chemosensors with selective colorimetric or fluorometric response to Cu2+ and Hg2+ in vegetable juice matrices. The paper validates the sensor in real food matrices (vegetable juice), making it relevant to food-matrix analytical method development.

Key numbers

Hg2+ LOD: 0.003 ppm (3 µg/L, equivalent to ~3 ppb in the vegetable juice extract). This LOD is relevant to food-grade mercury detection; EU maximum levels for Hg in vegetables are typically 0.1 mg/kg (100 ppb, wet weight), so the 3 ppb LOD in the extracted solution provides regulatory-relevant sensitivity.

Cu2+ LOD also reported; Cu is not an HMT&C analyte and is not recorded here.

Validated in: vegetable juice. This is a meaningful food matrix validation distinguishing this paper from purely aqueous-phase sensor work.

Methods (brief)

Benzidine-based chemosensor (aromatic diamine derivative). Colorimetric or fluorometric response to Hg2+ and Cu2+. Vegetable juice matrix tested. Not an ICP-MS-based method; serves as a rapid screening approach. Published by Indian academic authors, likely in an Indian or Asian journal.

Implications

Testing: 3 ppb LOD for Hg in vegetable juice matrices demonstrates that simple organic chemosensor approaches can reach food-relevant sensitivity levels. The vegetable juice validation is more directly food-applicable than purely water-matrix sensor work.

Wiki pages updated on ingest

• mercury-methods

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