JOURNAL OF FOOD COMPOSITION AND ANALYSIS, cilt.146, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
In this study, a novel chiral ionic liquid, (S)-1-methyl-3-(2-methylbutyl)-1H-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate, was synthesized and used for the first time as an extraction solvent in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the preconcentration of penicillins. The extraction efficiency was optimized by evaluating various parameters, including the amount of ionic liquid, type of dispersive solvent, pH effect, extraction time, salt type and concentration. Matrix effects were further assessed by comparing the responses of standard calibration solutions with matrix-matched calibrations obtained from spiking experiments in milk and egg samples. Recovery rates ranged from 85.64 % to 98.22 %, with no significant matrix-induced suppression or enhancement observed. Differences between concentrations determined by matrix-matched and standard calibrations were within +/- 12 %, indicating negligible matrix effects. Consequently, the proposed method demonstrates excellent matrix compatibility and can be reliably applied to complex food matrices without the need for extensive sample cleanup or matrix-matched calibration during routine analysis. The linearity range for penicillins was determined as 5-1000 mu gL 1 , with limits of detection (LOD) ranging from 1.15 to 1.78 mu gL 1 and limits of quantification (LOQ) between 3.85 and 5.94 mu gL1 . To assess method repeatability under optimal conditions, intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviation (%RSD) values were found to be between 3.22 % and 5.09 %. High recovery values in the range of 91.21 %-98.22 % were obtained for standard penicillin concentrations added to egg and milk samples to demonstrate the accuracy of the method.