Determination of fluorine contents in plant samples by means of facilitated extraction with enzyme

• Important parameters of facilitated extraction with enzyme were optimized.
• The suitability of facilitated extraction with enzyme for the F analysis in plant was assessed.
• The major enzyme extracting the F from plant sample is a protease.
• Facilitated extraction with enzyme reduces analysis time and eliminates complicated procedures.

In this study, facilitated extraction with enzyme was employed for the first time to extract fluorine (F) from plants. Feasibility of the proposed method for F analysis was assessed by comparing with the alkali fusion-ion selective electrode (ISE) method. In the extraction procedure, 30 mg of a protease and 0.1 g of a plant sample were added in 10 mL of deionized water. In the absence of sonication, the solution was mechanically shaken for 10 s. A variety of parameters (i.e., the amounts of enzymes used, physical treatment conditions applied, extraction time, temperature, and pH) were optimized to enhance the extraction efficiency of the proposed method. The suitability of the proposed method for various plant samples (i.e., grass, perilla, peanut, hot pepper, and eggplant) was also evaluated. The proposed method involves decreased operation time, simplified extraction procedures, and minimal consumption of hazardous reagents and solvents in comparison with other existing methods. Experimental results demonstrated that facilitated extraction with enzyme is appropriate for the rapid determination of F content in plant samples.

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