Analytical performances of validated chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassays to detect N-methylcarbamate pesticides

In the present work, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) with chemiluminescent detection for the determination of carbofuran, carbaryl and methiocarb were developed and the analytical parameters of these assays were compared with those of ELISAs with colorimetric detection. Both were conjugate-coated formats based on identical monoclonal antibodies and homologous protein conjugates. In comparison with colorimetric ELISA, the ability of the chemiluminescent reagents to detect lower concentrations of horseradish peroxidase allowed to decrease the optimal antibody and conjugate concentrations and to reach better analytical parameters. The experimental comparison of the analytical performance of the ELISAs was carried out by analysing extracts of apple-strawberry baby food and simply diluted fruit juices, both spiked at different concentration levels with the above mentioned pesticides. Recovery values for both ELISAs were around 100% and no matrix effects were observed when fruit juices were diluted 1:20 or more. Results obtained by ELISAs correlated well, both in terms of accuracy and precision, with those obtained by a liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MS/MS) analysis, used as reference method to validate the immunoassays results. The limits of detection reached by using the chemiluminescent assay were 0.03, 0.007 and 0.004 ng ml⁻¹ for carbofuran, carbaryl and methiocarb, respectively.     

水果蔬菜中多种杀菌剂的基质固相分散液相色谱测定方法研究

采用基质固相分散(MSPD)代替液液分配和固相萃取,从蔬菜水果中提取、净化10种常用杀菌剂农药残留,用C18硅胶交联剂作为固相吸附剂,乙酸乙酯作为洗脱液,用HPLC/PDA和LC-MS进行分析检测。10种杀菌剂在0.5~5 mg/kg含量的添加回收率在65%~110%之间,相对标准偏差小于10%,使用HPLC、PDA和LC-MS的检出限分别在0.02~0.2 mg/kg和0.002~0.01 mg/kg之间。该方法节省溶剂,提取和净化一步完成,适用于新鲜水果和蔬菜中10种杀菌剂的残留分析。     

Determination of carbamates at trace levels in water and cucumber by capillary liquid chromatography

A sensitive and reliable method using capillary HPLC with UV-diode array detection (DAD) has been developed and validated for trace determination of carbamate pesticides in cucumber and environmental water samples. The analytes, including carbofuran, carbaryl, methiocarb, promecarb, benthiocarb and fenoxycarb, present legal residue levels regulated by the EU Council Directive 98/83/EC on drinking water and by the Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 on vegetables. A previous off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure was required for preconcentration and sample clean-up. The separation was achieved using a C₁₈ column (150?mm?×?0.5?mm I.D, 5?µm particle size) and a mobile phase consisting of ACN?:?water using gradient mode, with a flow rate of 10?µl min^?1. Taking advantages of the characteristics of capillary HPLC, low volume of sample and solvents were required, achieving limits of detection for the studied compounds ranged from 10.0–29.6?ng l^?1 for water samples and 1.8–5.6?µg kg^?1 for cucumber, using UV-detection. Recoveries studies for fortified samples, at three different concentration levels, were carried out obtaining recoveries ranging from 70.0 to 111.1% and relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 10.6%.     

Stability studies of carbamate pesticides and analysis by gas chromatography with flame ionization and nitrogen-phosphorus detection

As a result of thermal stability studies of carbamate pesticides, a method has been proposed for their direct determination by gas chromatography in the ranges 1-20 and 0.1-1 mg l(-1), using flame ionization and nitrogen-phosphorus detection, respectively. The method allows the determination of propham, propoxur, carbofuran, carbaryl, methiocarb, isopropoxyphenol and naphthol in powdered potato samples. The analytes were previously extracted with a light petroleum-dichloromethane (1:1, v/v) mixture and preconcentred by solid-phase extraction through a C8 cartridge. The recoveries obtained from spiked potato samples (n=4 replicates) at two concentration levels, 10 and 0.5 mg of pesticide per kg of sample, were in the ranges 72-115 and 50-73%, with relative standard deviations of 2-7 and 5-8%, respectively. The detection limits were 50-210 and 41-53 microg kg(-1) with flame ionization and nitrogen-phosphorus detection, respectively, and reaching the maximum residue levels, 0.05 mg kg(-1) for methiocarb and propoxur, set by the Real Decreto 280/1994 (based on the European directive).     

PSA分散固相萃取液相色谱柱后衍生荧光法测定蔬菜和水果中的13种氨基甲酸酯

建立了PSA分散固相萃取净化,液相色谱柱后衍生荧光法测定蔬菜和水果中13种氨基甲酸酯农药的分析方法。在建立的测定条件下,13种氨基甲酸酯的含量与峰面积之间成线性关系,相关系数大于0.994,保留时间的相对标准偏差在0.03%~0.22%之间,检测下限在2.00~2.28μg/kg范围内。西瓜、杏、茄子及胡萝卜中13种氨基甲酸酯的平均回收率在71.7%~110%之间,相对标准偏差在0.68%~15%之间,分析结果优于氨基柱固相萃取法。     

Decanoic acid reverse micelle-based coacervates for the microextraction of bisphenol A from canned vegetables and fruits

Decanoic acid reverse micelle-based coacervates were proposed for the extraction of bisphenol A (BPA) from canned vegetables and fruits prior to its determination by liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection at lambda(exc) = 276 nm and lambda(em) = 306 nm. The procedure involved the extraction of minute quantities (300-700 mg) of homogenized food sample with an aqueous solution containing 10% of THF and 0.5% of decanoic acid, conditions under which the coacervate (around 340 microL) formed in situ and instantaneously. The overall sample treatment, which included extraction and centrifugation, took about 25-30 min, and several samples could be simultaneously treated using conventional lab equipment. No clean-up or solvent evaporation were required. Extraction efficiencies mainly depended on the decanoic acid and THF concentration in the aqueous solution and were not affected by the pH or the temperature in the ranges studied (1-4 and 20-60 degrees C, respectively). Recoveries in samples ranged between about 81 and 96%. The precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was about 3% and the quantitation limit was around 9 ng g(-1), which was far below the current specific migration limit (SML) set for BPA by the EU Commission (600 ng g(-1)). The method was successfully applied to the determination of BPA in the solid content of canned fruit salad, peaches in syrup, mango slices, red peppers, sweetcorn, green beans and peas. BPA was present at concentrations in the range from 7.8 to 24.4 ng g(-1) in canned fruits and from 55 to 103 ng g(-1) in canned vegetables.     

Development of a simple extraction procedure for chlorpyrifos determination in food samples by immunoassay

The suitability of immunoassay methodology for rapid and accurate determination of chlorpyrifos in vegetables was tested. The optimised ELISA detection limit was 0.32 ng/ml, with a working range from 0.69 to 6.21 ng/ml and an immunoassay test-mid point (IC₅₀) of 2.08 ng/ml. A rapid sample preparation procedure considering different parameters such as the amount of sample, volume of extractant, extraction time and dilution factor was optimised. The developed direct extraction (DE) and multiresidue (ME) standard procedures were performed in different fortified fresh and processed vegetable samples (tomato, bonnet pepper, bean, pea, asparagus, broccoli, watermelon, melon, lettuce, cucumber, celery and red pepper). Recoveries were in all cases in the whole range 85.2-108.9% for both DE and ME extracts. Also, the comparison of the results obtained by both immunochemical and chromatographic methods for spiked fruits and vegetables were good with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.97.     

Analysis of herbicide residues in cereals, fruits and vegetables

The determination of herbicide residues in cereals, fruits and vegetables by chromatographic methods is reviewed. The principal chemical groups of herbicides, like phenoxyacids, benzonitriles, ureas, triazines, dinitroanilines, chloroacetamides, carbamates, uracils, glyphosate and bipyridylium compounds, are considered. This review briefly provides some basic information on food sample extraction, clean-up, derivatization and determination of herbicide residues.     

Multiresidue analysis of pesticides in vegetables and fruits using a high capacity absorbent polymer for water

A single extraction and a single clean-up procedure was developed for multi-residue analysis of pesticides in non-fatty vegetables and fruits. The method involves the use of a high capacity absorbent polymer for water as a drying agent in extraction from wet food samples and of a graphitized carbon column for clean-up. A homogeneously chopped food sample (20 g) and polymer (3 g) were mixed to absorb water from the sample and then 10 min later the mixture was vigorously extracted with ethyl acetate (100 ml). The extract (50 ml), separated by filtration, was loaded on a graphitized carbon column without concentration. Additional ethyl acetate (50 ml) was also eluted and both eluates were concentrated to 5 ml for analysis. The procedure for sample preparation was completed within 2 h. In a recovery test, 107 pesticides were spiked and average recoveries were more than 80% from asparagus, orange, potato and strawberry. Most pesticides were recovered in the range 70-120% with usually less than a 10% RSD for six experiments. The results indicated that a single extraction with ethyl acetate in the presence of polymer can be applied to the monitoring of pesticide residues in foods.     

Polyurethane foam chips combined with liquid chromatography in the determination of unmetabolized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons excreted in human urine

A method suitable for the determination of unmetabolized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) excreted at trace levels (ng/L) in human urine for the monitoring of exposure of the general population to PAH contamination was developed. PAHs were determined, after enrichment by solid-phase extraction on polyurethane foam (PUF) chips, by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Different parameters affecting analyte extraction to the PUF, including urine salting-out and organic additives, and optimization of conditions for clean-up and desorption have been investigated. Optimized conditions were 40 mL acidified urine sample, added with magnesium sulfate, tetrahydrofuran and a 2 cm3 PUF chip, and extracted by shaking at 30 rpm for 1 h at ambient temperature. Desorption was performed, after a clean-up step with diluted sodium hydroxide, using a small amount of diethyl ether. The recovery of PAH congeners from spiked urines was >90% in the 2-100 ng/L range; the detection limit was 0.1-0.5 ng/L, depending on the considered PAH congener; day-to-day precision, at 50 ng/L native PAH content, was CV = 10-20%. The proposed technique provides a simple, economical and effective procedure for the determination of trace amounts of unmetabolized PAHs excreted in human urine spot samples.     

Multiresidue method for determination of 90 pesticides in fresh fruits and vegetables using solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A multiresidue method for analysis of 90 pesticides with different physico-chemical properties in fruits and vegetables was developed. The method involves a rapid and small-scale extraction procedure with acetone using vortex mixing. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) on a highly cross-linked polystyrene divinylbenzene column (LiChrolut EN) was used for clean-up and pre-concentration of the pesticides from the water-diluted acetone extracts. For most fruit and vegetable samples this partial clean-up was sufficient, but some of them with more co-extracting substances need further clean-up (cereals, spinach, carrots, etc.). Diethylaminopropyl (DEA) modified silica was used for efficient removal of interferences caused by various organic acids, sugars, etc. The pesticide residues were determined by gas chromatography with a mass selective detector (GC-MS). The majority of pesticide recoveries for various fruits and vegetables were >80% in the concentration range from 0.01 to 0.50 mg/kg, except for the most polar pesticides (methamidophos, acephate, omethoate) which cannot be determined by this method. The limit of quantitation for most of the pesticides was 0.01 mg/kg with majority of relative standard deviations (R.S.D.s) below 10%.     

Correlation between different clean-up methods and analytical techniques performances to detect Ochratoxin A in wine

Three different clean-up methods and two analytical techniques were compared to determine Ochratoxin A (OTA) in wines. The first clean-up used a MycoSep column, the second an immunoaffinity column (IAC) and the third consisted in a liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using dichloromethane in acid conditions. Meanwhile, two different OTA determination techniques were also evaluated: a HPLC analysis using a fluorescence detector and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) method.Correlations between clean-up methods and analytical techniques to determine OTA in wine were made evaluating linearity, accuracy and precision.Both the two first clean-up methods (solid-phase extraction, SPE) showed a good linear fit (r² = about 0.9999), followed by LLE. The use of immunoaffinity columns showed the best recoveries, even if also the SPE with MycoSep showed good recoveries while the LLE recoveries were the worst ones. The HPLC analysis showed good precision and accuracy, while ELISA method, even with a sufficient linearity, generally underestimated OTA content in wines.     

Sensitive determination of herbicides in food samples by nonaqueous CE using pressurized liquid extraction

We have developed a method involving extraction with mixtures of solvents under pressure (pressurized liquid extraction (PLE)) for the determination of triazine herbicides in a series of samples from the food industry. The organic extracts obtained were subjected to a clean-up step with SPE, using Oasis MCX sorbents, after which they were analyzed by NACE. Potato was chosen as a representative matrix of horticultural products since it has a high water content. Spiked potato samples were used to optimize extraction conditions. In order to compare the results obtained with NACE, different studies were also conducted using HPLC. The detection limits in NACE were similar to those found with HPLC and were of the order of 10-15 microg/kg, depending on the analyte. Satisfactory results were obtained on applying the method proposed for the potato matrix (PLE with separation by electrophoresis) to other food matrices such as other tubercles, fruits, vegetables and cereals.     

Simultaneous determination of carbamate and organophosphorus pesticides in fruits and vegetables by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method was established for the purpose of simultaneous determination of carbamate and organophosphorus (OPPs) pesticides in fruits and vegetables. Samples were extracted with acetonitrile; and then prepared by dispersive solid-phase extraction (dispersive-SPE) with primary secondary amine (PSA) as the sorbent. Four common representative samples (tomato, apple, carrot, and cabbage) were selected from the supermarket to investigate the effect of different matrices on pesticides recoveries and assay precision after spiking samples with 0.05 mg/kg. Matrix composition did not interfere significantly with the determination of the pesticides. The obtained recoveries were, with a few exceptions, in the range of 70-110% with RSDs less than 8%. It was applied to pesticide residue monitoring in vegetables and fruits from local markets.     

Universal extraction/clean-up procedure for screening of pesticides by extraction with ethyl acetate and size exclusion chromatography

Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is used as a clean-up procedure after extraction of pesticides with the compatible solvent ethyl acetate. Recoveries better than 90% are obained for oranochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides, fungicides and chlorobiphenyls from fats, fish oils, vegetables, fruits, cereals and liver. A comparison with other procedures is made. The use of a 10-mm i.d. SEC column provides the same limits of determination as those attainable with commercial systems by requires only 15% of the amount of solvents normally used.     

分散固相萃取-高效液相色谱法快速测定果蔬中的6种保鲜剂残留量

建立了采用分散固相萃取-高效液相色谱同时测定果蔬中2,4-滴、噻苯咪唑、乙萘酚、邻苯基苯酚、二苯醚和联苯6种保鲜剂残留量的方法。样品经乙腈提取(同时加入氯化钠和无水硫酸镁),提取液经酸性氧化铝分散固相萃取净化,采用Agilent TC C18色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm),以甲醇-0.02 mol/L的磷酸二氢钾溶液(pH 6)作为流动相,流速1.0 mL/min,梯度洗脱,用紫外检测器检测,检测波长为235 nm,外标法峰面积定量。6种保鲜剂在0.5～20 mg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数均大于0.99; 6种保鲜剂在样品中添加1、2和10 mg/kg 3个浓度水平的回收率为84.2%～99.1% (n=6),相对标准偏差为1.67%～10.3%;方法的定量限为1 mg/kg。该法简便、准确,适用于果蔬中6种保鲜剂残留量的检测。     

Identification of Carbofuran And Methiocarb and their Transformation Products in Estuarine Waters by On-line Solid Phase Extraction Liquid Chromatography—Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The degradation of the carbamate insecticides carbofuran and methiocarb in distilled and natural waters was determined. Degradation studies were carried out both under a xenon arc irradiation and natural sunlight at pesticide concentrations of 50–100 μg/L. 50–100 mL water sample were preconcentrated using automated online solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by liquid chromatography (LC), UV detection or post column fluorescence detection (EPA method 531.1 for carbamate insecticides). Structure identification was carried out by on-line SPE-LC-MS either with thermospray and/or high flow pneumatically assisted electrospray interfaces. Half-lives varying between 4–12.5 days for carbofuran and methiocarb were determined under natural sunlight exposure, being chemical hydrolysis the major degradation pathway. When using xenon arc lamp irradiation both pesticides degraded very rapidly with half-lives varying from 0.3–1.7 hours. The various degradation products identified were: methiocarb sulfoxide, 4-methylthio-3, 5-dimethylphenol, 3-hydroxy-7-carbofuranphenol and 2-hydroxy-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)-phenyl-N-methylcarbamate.     

介孔氧化铝净化-气相色谱法同时测定蔬菜、水果及茶叶中16种有机磷农药残留

利用气相色谱检测技术,建立了能应用于白菜、生菜、南瓜、洋葱、番茄、白萝卜、苹果、梨及茶叶等不同基质中16种有机磷农药残留的检测方法。样品采用乙酸乙酯提取,经以合成的介孔氧化铝作吸附剂的固相萃取柱净化,DB-1701毛细管柱分离,气相色谱-火焰光度检测器检测。结果表明,蔬菜、水果及茶叶基质中16种有机磷农药在10~2000 μg/L范围内具有良好的线性关系（R²>0.997）;平均回收率为83.2%~103.8%,相对标准偏差为2.0%~9.9%。该方法灵敏度高、准确度高、重复性好,可适用于蔬菜、水果及茶叶基质中16种有机磷残留量的同时测定。     

Sample preparation including sol-gel immunoaffinity chromatography for determination of bisphenol A in canned beverages, fruits and vegetables

The paper describes the development of a very simple method to prepare samples of canned food (beverages, fruits and vegetables) for the determination of bisphenol A by isocratic HPLC with fluorescence detection. The new sample preparation method makes use of the selectivity of bisphenol A antibodies immobilized in a silica matrix by an inexpensive and simple sol-gel technique. In spite of applying highly complex food matrices, immunoaffinity columns could be used for clean-up of at least 15 real samples. Limits of detection (S/N=3) ranged from 0.1 ng/ml for beverages to 4.3 ng/g for vegetables.     

Sequential injection-bead injection-lab-on-valve coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography for online renewable micro-solid-phase extraction of carbamate residues in food and environmental samples

A sequential injection‐bead injection‐lab‐on‐valve system was hyphenated to HPLC for online renewable micro‐solid‐phase extraction of carbamate insecticides. The carbamates studied were isoprocarb, methomyl, carbaryl, carbofuran, methiocarb, promecarb, and propoxur. LiChroprep^® RP‐18 beads (25–40 μm) were employed as renewable sorbent packing in a microcolumn situated inside the LOV platform mounted above the multiposition valve of the sequential injection system. The analytes sorbed by the microcolumn were eluted using 80% acetonitrile in 0.1% acetic acid before online introduction to the HPLC system. Separation was performed on an Atlantis C‐18 column (4.6×150 mm, 5 μm) utilizing gradient elution with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and a detection wavelength at 270 nm. The sequential injection system offers the means of performing automated handling of sample preconcentration and matrix removal. The enrichment factors ranged between 20 and 125, leading to limits of detection (LODs) in the range of 1–20 μg/L. Good reproducibility was obtained with relative standard deviations of <0.7 and 5.4% for retention time and peak area, respectively. The developed method has been successfully applied to the determination of carbamate residues in fruit, vegetable, and water samples.