Thiabendazole (TBZ) is a fungicide and anthelmintic drug commonly found in food products. Due to its toxicity and potential carcinogenicity, its determination in various samples is important for public health. Different analytical methods can be used to determine the presence and concentration of TBZ in samples. Liquid chromatography (LC) and its subtypes, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), are the most commonly used methods for TBZ determination representing 19%, 18%, and 18% of the described methods, respectively. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and fluorimetry are two more methods widely used for TBZ determination, representing 13% and 12% of the described methods, respectively. In this review, a number of methods for TBZ determination are described, but due to their limitations, there is a high potential for the further improvement and development of each method in order to obtain a simple, precise, and accurate method that can be used for routine analysis.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the first choice of treatment for rheumatic disorders and other degenerative inflammatory diseases. One of them, indomethacin (INDO), is highlighted in this study. With its analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory properties, it is one of the most powerful drugs used in various clinical trials and therapies related to the mechanism of blocking prostaglandin synthesis, thus reducing and eliminating many inflammatory conditions in patients. To ensure the efficacy and safety of this drug in pharmaceutical and clinical use, precise product quality control is required. Such control is performed with routine pharmaceutical analysis using various chemical methods by which INDO is identified as a separate active ingredient in the multicomponent system of a complete pharmaceutical form. In addition, the determination of INDO is important in clinical practice, where its concentration is determined in different biological samples, ensuring better monitoring of a particular therapy. The most commonly used methods for the determination of INDO are high-performance liquid chromatography (37% of developed methods), voltammetry (16% of developed methods), and UV spectroscopy (11% of developed methods). However, each of these methods must provide precise validation parameters. A combination of analytical methods can lead to more precise results and safer application in practice.

A new sensor for direct potentiometric determination of thiabendazole (TBZ) was prepared. The ionic pair of TBZ cation and the 5-sulfosalicylate anion was used as the new sensor material incorporated in liquid type of ion-selective electrode membrane for TBZ determination. For optimization of the membrane of the sensor for TBZ determination, six different plasticizers and the content of the sensor material in the membrane were varied. The chosen sensor with dibutyl sebacate (DS) as plasticizer and 1% of sensor material in the membrane was characterized with Nernstian response towards TBZ (62.2 mV/decade of activity), a wide working range (8.6∙10^-7-1.0∙10^-3 M), and a low limit of detection (3.2·10^-7 M). Also, it proved to be an accurate and reliable sensor for TBZ determination in pure and real samples (peel of oranges, lemons and bananas) where it was determined using direct potentiometry and Gran method.

Direct potentiometric measurements using solid-state sensors have a great potential for thiabendazole (TBZ) determination, considering simplicity, accuracy, and low cost. Modifying the sensing material of the sensor with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) leads to improved analytical properties of the sensor. In this study, a new potentiometric solid-state sensor for TBZ determination, based on MWCNTs modified with a sulfate group, and TBZ ion as sensing material was developed. The sensor exhibited a Nernstian response for TBZ (60.4 mV/decade of activity) in a working range between 8.6 × 10⁻⁷ and 1.0 × 10⁻³ M. The detection limit for TBZ was 6.2 × 10⁻⁷ M. The response time of the sensor for TBZ was 8 s, and its signal drift was only 1.7 mV/h. The new sensor is applicable for direct potentiometric determination of TBZ in complex real samples, such as fruit peel. The accuracy of TBZ determination is confirmed using the standard addition method.

Azole compounds are extensively utilized in plant protection products for managing pests and diseases in both agriculture and horticulture. Moreover, azoles are the most extensively used class of fungicides worldwide. In addition to being effective against human pathogenic fungi, they are used in the food and agricultural industries to prevent and control fungal infections in crops. Unfortunately, the extensive use of azoles and subsequent overexposure have led to undesirable effects on ecosystems and non-target aquatic and terrestrial organisms. In the last decade alone, the European Union (EU) has prohibited numerous pesticides, many of which are based on azoles. Numerous azoles, especially triazoles, pyrazoles, imidazoles, and oxazoles, are still approved as active ingredients in plant protection products in the EU due to their excellent activity and minimal environmental and health impacts. However, for some, the expiry date is as close as March 2026. A computational approach for estimating their effectiveness against harmful and non-target organisms in soil, as well as detailed research into the molecular mechanism of action, is used for further evaluation of the compounds. This review provides an overview of azole pesticides and a summary of recent knowledge addressing their toxicity, future prospects, methods, and strategies to overcome their limitations.