Fast and interference-free determination of glyphosate and glufosinate residues through electrophoresis in disposable microfluidic chips

With an increasing concern on food safety, fast screening of residues of widespread herbicides becomes necessary. Herein we report a microchip electrophoresis system with laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection for rapid and sensitive analysis of glyphosate (GLYP) and glufosinate (GLUF) residues. Disposable cyclic olefin copolymer microchips and a low-cost LIF detector were employed to minimize the cost of the analysis. Systematic optimization of experimental conditions was performed to achieve highly efficient analysis. Under the selected condition, GLYP and GLUF were efficiently resolved from sample matrices with a buffer containing 10 mmol/L borax and 2.0% (m/v) hydroxypropyl cellulose at pH 9.0. The number of theoretical plates of 1.0 × 106 m–1 was attained for both analytes. Derivatization at lower concentrations (<10 μg/L) was also examined, successful detection of 0.34 μg/L GLYP and 0.18 μg/L GLUF was confirmed. The system was applied for the determination of both analytes in real samples without any preconcentration involved. Recoveries of GLYP and GLUF spiked in these samples were 84.0–101.0% and 90.0–103.0%, respectively.

► Microchip electrophoresis was adopted for analysis of glyphosate and glufosinate.
► Easy-to-make low-cost plastic microchips and hardwares were utilized.
► Anodic separation was used to get rid of potential interferences.
► The method was fast, sensitive and excellent in interference tolerance.
► The method was applied in the analysis of real samples with complicated matrices.