A portable electrochemical sensor for caffeine and (-)epigallocatechin gallate based on molecularly imprinted poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) recognition element

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows a maximum of 72 mg of caffeine per 12 oz. serving (6 mg/oz). Consuming 400 mg of caffeine 3 times daily for 7 days may develop sleep disruption effects. However, it is still very hard for people to estimate how much caffeine is intake daily. Moreover, (-)epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is studied a potent antioxidant that may have therapeutic properties for anti-aging and cancer. Conventionally, both caffeine and EGCG could be measured by the protocols of high performance liquid chromatography; however, high precision instruments are required. In this work, the caffeine and EGCG are used as the template molecules and imprinted into poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol), EVAL, via solvent evaporation. The EVAL membrane is then used as the sensing element for electrochemical analysis after templates removal. From the cyclic voltammetry measurement of the caffeine, the peak oxidation potential is shifted from 0.36 to 0.46 V when the final concentration of caffeine is from 0.01 to 1 mg/mL, and the highest current density is about 0.18 μA/cm2. The caffeine and EGCG concentrations measured in three real samples are about 0.10-0.13 mg/mL and 0.49-1.74 mg/mL, respectively. This molecularly imprinted polymeric coated electrode is potential employed as a home-care system.