Abstract
Development of monitoring methods for phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like bisphenol A is imperative, as they disrupt homeostasis of the body's endocrine system, posing serious threats to human health. Herein, a natural flavonoid based hyper cross-linked polymer (STF-HCP1) was synthesized for the first time. STF-HCP1 achieves excellent adsorption of phenolic EDCs (bisphenol A, p-tert-butylphenol, bisphenol B, bisphenol F) through hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions. STF-HCP1 based solid phase extraction was coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for sensitive quantification of trace phenolic EDCs in chicken and fish samples. Under optimum conditions, this method showed lower limit of detection (0.58-2.1 ng g(-1) for chickens and 0.70-3.2 ng g(-1) for fish), satisfactory spiked recovery (91.1-106 %) and high precision (relative standard deviation ≤6.7 %). Beyond offering a viable method for sensitive detection of phenolic EDCs, this study highlights a novel strategy to prepare effective adsorbents using natural raw materials.