New competitive dendrimer-based and highly selective immunosensor for determination of atrazine in environmental, feed and food samples: The importance of antibody selectivity for discrimination among related triazinic metabolites

A new voltammetric competitive immunosensor selective for atrazine, based on the immobilization of a conjugate atrazine-bovine serum albumine on a nanostructured gold substrate previously functionalized with poliamidoaminic dendrimers, was realized, characterized, and validated in different real samples of environmental and food concern. Response of the sensor was reliable, highly selective and suitable for the detection and quantification of atrazine at trace levels in complex matrices such as territorial waters, corn-cultivated soils, corn-containing poultry and bovine feeds and corn flakes for human use. Selectivity studies were focused on desethylatrazine, the principal metabolite generated by long-term microbiological degradation of atrazine, terbutylazine-2-hydroxy and simazine as potential interferents. The response of the developed immunosensor for atrazine was explored over the 10−2–103 ng mL−1 range. Good sensitivity was proved, as limit of detection and limit of quantitation of 1.2 and 5 ng mL−1, respectively, were estimated for atrazine. RSD values <5% over the entire explored range attested a good precision of the device.