Development and certification of reference materials for residues of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides in beef fat ACSL CRM 1 and 2

Beef fat samples were prepared and tested as candidate reference materials for organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides. The CRMs consisted of beef fat spiked with pesticide solutions. One sample (ACSL CRM 1) was prepared containing close to 0.2 mg/kg of each of the organochlorine pesticides dieldrin and heptachlor epoxide. A second sample (ACSL CRM 2) was prepared containing close to 0.8 mg/kg of each of the organophosphorus pesticides diazinon, chlorpyrifos and ethion. The spiking levels and homogeneity of the materials were verified. The coefficients of variation of 5 analyses carried out to test between-jar homogeneity for each reference material were dieldrin, 3.5%; heptachlor epoxide, 1.1%; diazinon, 2.1%; chlorpyrifos, 1.2% and ethion, 3.1%. No instability in any of these compounds was detected over a twelve month period. The candidate reference materials were found to be suitable for certification by interlaboratory testing. The certification process was based on a two-stage nested design described in ISO Guide 35. Analysis of results reported by collaborating laboratories provided an assessment of the homogeneity of the reference materials. The certified values together with their upper and lower 95% confidence limits are: ACSL CRM 1*Dieldrin*0.199 mg/kg **(0.188, **0.210 mg/kg) *Heptachlor epoxide*0.194 mg/kg **(0.176, **0.212 mg/kg) ACSL CRM 2*Diazinon*0.805 mg/kg **(0.755, **0.855 mg/kg) *Chlorpyrifos*0.790 mg/kg **(0.728, **0.852 mg/kg) *Ethion*0.813 mg/kg **(0.746, **0.879 mg/kg). A certificate for each material was prepared according to the guidelines set out in ISO Guide 31.     

Dietary intake and residues of organochlorine pesticides in foods from Hsinchu, Taiwan.

The levels of contamination with various organochlorine pesticides (such as total HCH, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endosulfan, and total DDT) of different foods from 3 traditional markets were determined to estimate Taiwanese daily intake of organochlorine pesticides. Of the 18 organochlorine pesticides investigated, alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, lindane, delta-HCH, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, endrin, alpha-endosulfan, p,p'-DDE, and p,p'-DDT were detected at concentrations ranging from 0.26 to 10.2 ng/g wet weight. Contamination with organochlorine pesticides followed the order heptachlor > dieldrin > alpha-endosulfan > HCH isomers > heptachlor epoxide > DDT. Frequencies of detection of organochlorine pesticide residues ranged from 2.0 to 52.3%. alpha-Endosulfan was the most frequently detected organochlorine pesticide in the foods analyzed, followed by heptachlor epoxide (47.6%) and alpha-HCH (38.9%). Estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of organochlorine pesticides from foods were 1.137 micrograms for total HCH, 2.147 micrograms for heptachlor, 0.702 microgram for heptachlor epoxide, 0.624 microgram for endosulfan, 0.098 microgram for cyclodiene, and 0.541 microgram for total DDT. These EDIs were only 0.075% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for lindane, 47.5% of ADI for heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide, 0.045% of ADI for total DDT, and 1.01% of ADI for aldrin and dieldrin. Therefore, consumption of the foods analyzed does not pose a risk to consumer health.     

Development of a reference material for residues of chlorfluazuron and fluazuron in beef fat ACSL CRM 3

The certification by interlaboratory testing of a candidate reference material (ACSL CRM 3) for the concentration (mass fraction) of the pesticides chlorfluazuron (CFZ) and fluazuron (FZN) is described. The certification process was based on a two-stage nested design described in ISO Guide 35. Analysis of results reported by collaborating laboratories provided an assessment of the homogeneity of the RM. The certified values were chlorfluazuron -1.01 mg/kg and fluazuron -1.02 mg/kg. The upper and lower 95% confidence limits for CFZ and FZN were calculated to be: CFZ upper=1.05 mg/kg, lower=0.97 mg/kg; FZN upper=1.08 mg/kg, lower=0.95 mg/kg. A certificate was prepared according to guidelines set out in ISO Guide 31.     

Development and validation of a novel method for the analysis of chlorinated pesticides in soils using microwave-assisted extraction–headspace solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A new procedure for determining eleven organochlorine pesticides in soils using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) is described. The studied pesticides consisted of mirex, α- and γ-chlordane, p,p′-DDT, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide isomer A, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane, dieldrin, endrin, aldrine and hexachlorobenzene. The HS-SPME was optimized for the most important parameters such as extraction time, sample volume and temperature. The present analytical procedure requires a reduced volume of organic solvents and avoids the need for extract clean-up steps. For optimized conditions the limits of detection for the method ranged from 0.02 to 3.6 ng/g, intermediate precision ranged from 14 to 36% (as CV%), and the recovery from 8 up to 51%. The proposed methodology can be used in the rapid screening of soil for the presence of the selected pesticides, and was applied to landfill soil samples.     

Solid-phase microextraction for organochlorine pesticide residues analysis in Chinese herbal formulations

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to determine pesticide residues in Chinese herbal formulations. Fibers coated with a 100-microm film thickness of poly(dimethylsiloxane) was used to extract 19 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). The pesticides in the study consisted of alpha-, beta-, gamma-and delta-hexachlorocyclohexane, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endrin aldehyde, endrin ketone, endosulfan (I, II and sulfate), heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, and methoxychlor. The optimal experimental procedures for the adsorption and desorption of pesticides were evaluated. The linearity was obtained with a precision below 11% RSD for the studied pesticides expect endosulfan sulfate (21%) in a wide range from 1 to 200 ng/g. Detection limits were reached at below ng/g levels. Heptachlor epoxide was determined at a calculated limit of 0.03 ng/g. Comparison between SPME and Soxhlet extraction showed that SPME has a less than one order detection limit for residue pesticide determination. The proposed method was tested by analyzing herbal formulations from a local market for OCP multiresidues. Some residues studied were detected in the analyzed samples. The results demonstrate the suitability of the SPME-GC-MS approach for the analysis of multi-residue OCPs in Chinese herbal formulations.     

固相萃取-毛细管气相色谱法测定中草药中13种有机氯农药的残留量

建立了中草药中有机氯类农药残留量的固相萃取-毛细管气相色谱(SPE-CGC)分析方法。对丹参、黄芩、射干、白芍、白芷、天南星、牛蒡子、知母、桔梗共9种中草药中六六六的4种异构体、滴滴涕的4种异构体、七氯、艾氏剂、环氧七氯、狄氏剂、异狄氏剂共13种有机氯农药的残留量进行了测定。以丙酮-正己烷混合物作提取剂,采用超声波提取样品,然后用Florisil固相萃取小柱快速净化提取物。采用SPB-5弹性石英毛细管气相色谱柱分离样品,电化学检测器进行检测。13种农药的峰面积与其质量浓度均有良好的线性关系,相关系数均大于0.998。最小检测量为0.064～0.61 μg/L;样品的加标回收率为87.3%～102.3%(相对标准偏差为1.3%～6.8%)。该法简便快速、灵敏准确,具有广泛的应用前景。     

搅拌棒吸附子萃取与GC-MS法测定水中20种有机氯农药

建立了搅拌棒吸附子萃取/气相色谱-质谱法(SBSE/GC-MS)同时检测水中α-六六六、γ-六六六、β-六六六、七氯、δ-六六六、艾氏剂、环氧七氯、γ-氯丹、顺-氯丹、硫丹Ⅰ、p,p-滴滴伊、狄氏剂、异狄氏剂、p,p-滴滴滴、硫丹Ⅱ、p,p-滴滴涕、异狄氏剂醛、硫丹硫酸盐、甲氧滴滴涕、异狄氏剂酮20种有机氯农药含量的方法.样品在室温下经拌棒吸附子搅拌吸附,甲醇解吸附后,以J&W DB-35 MS(30 m×0.25 mm×0.25 μm)石英毛细管色谱柱为分析柱,气相色谱-质谱选择离子流模式检测.考察了萃取时间、氯化钠及甲醇加入量等对萃取的影响.实验结果表明:在2.5 ～20.0 μg/L 范围内,20种有机氯农药呈良好的线性关系,检出限(S/N=3)为0.008 ～0.118 μg/L,水样中分别添加2.5、20 μg/L的20种有机氯农药,回收率为 52% ～117%,相对标准偏差小于13%(n= 6).该方法操作简便、快速、灵敏度高,应用于实际样品检测,结果满意.     

Preparation and certification of a fish oil natural matrix reference material for organochlorine pesticides

The mass fractions of six organochlorine pesticides in a fish oil certified reference material (CRM) have been determined using multiple methods of analysis. Fish oil was extracted from the filet of Tilapia fish collected from the River Nile, and this CRM was recently issued by the National Institute of Standards (NIS). It can be used as natural matrix CRM for organochlorine pesticides determination in fish and for marine environmental measurement purposes. The analytical methods used are described, and the obtained results were combined to calculate the mass fractions of the six detected organochlorine pesticides and their associated uncertainty values. It has been concluded that mass fractions of four pesticides are certified values. These are 1,1-(dichloroethylidene)bis[4-chlorobenzene](4,4′-DDE), 1,1-(2,2,-dichloroethylidene)bis[4-chlorobenzene] (4,4′-DDD), 1-chloro-2-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzene (2,4′-DDT) and 1,1-(2,2,2-trichloroethylidene)bis[4-chlorobenzene] (4,4′-DDT). Meanwhile, mass fractions of two pesticides were reference values. These are heptachlor and 1-chloro-2-[2,2-dichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzene (2,4′-DDD).     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides in water using microwave assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography

A coupled technique, microwave-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction (MA-HS-SPME), was investigated for one-step in situ sample pretreatment for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) prior to gas chromatographic determination. The OCPs, aldrin, o,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT, dieldrin, alpha-endosulfan, beta-endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, endrin, delta-HCH, gamma-HCH, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, methoxychlor and trifluralin were collected by the proposed method and analyzed by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD). To perform the MA-HS-SPME, six types of SPME fibers were examined and compared. The parameters affecting the efficiency in MA-HS-SPME process such as sampling time and temperature, microwave irradiation power, desorption temperature and time were studied to obtain the optimal conditions. The method was developed using spiked water samples such as field water and with 0.05% humic acid in a concentration range of 0.05-2.5 microg/l except endosulfan sulfate in 0.25-2.5 microg/l. The detection was linear over the studied concentration range with r2>0.9978. The detection limits varied from 0.002 to 0.070 microg/l based on S/N=3 and the relative standard deviations for repeatability were <15%. A certified reference sample of OCPs in aqueous solution was analyzed by the proposed method and compared with the conventional liquid-liquid extraction procedure. These results are in good agreement. The results indicate that the proposed method provides a very simple, fast, and solvent-free procedure to achieve sample pretreatment prior to the trace-level screening determination of organochloride pesticides by gas chromatography.     

Screening and determination of pesticides in soil using continuous subcritical water extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

In the present work the efficiency of water under subcritical conditions for the extraction of pesticides having a broad spectrum of polarities from soils was evaluated. The pesticides under study were carbofuran, hexachlorobenzene, dimethoate, simazine, atrazine, lindane, diazinon, methylparathion, alachlor, aldrin-R, metholachlor, chlorpyrifos, heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, endrin, 4,4-DDT and metoxichlor. Optimization studies were carried out using a blank soil (Non-Polluted Soil 1, CLN-1, RTC) and a real soil which were previously spiked with the pesticide mixture and aged for 60 days. A laboratory-made aluminum oven with controlled temperature was used to carry out the leaching process with subcritical water, where it is placed a pre-heater and the extraction cell. The following variables were studied, keeping the pressure controlled about 1200 p.s.i.: the extraction temperature, the time of static and dynamic extraction and the flow-rate of water (1 p.s.i. = 6894.76 Pa). The extraction efficiency of the pesticides increases with the temperature trending to the quantitative extraction at temperatures near to 300 degrees C. After the extraction process, the analytes were transferred quantitatively to 5 ml dichloromethane, before the determination by GC-MS. The results indicate that under the optimized conditions mostly of the analytes are extracted quantitatively in 90 min with recoveries quite similar to those obtained by the standard Soxhlet extraction procedure. Alternatively, by using an extraction time of 25 min, the method can be used as screening for all the pesticides, with recoveries depending on their polarity.     

Comparison of solvent extraction and solid-phase extraction for the determination of organochlorine pesticide residues in water.

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) of organochlorine pesticide residues from environmental water samples was evaluated using octadecyl (C18)-bonded porous silica. The efficiency of SPE of these pesticide residues from reagent water samples at 1-5 micrograms dm-3 levels was compared with those obtained by solvent extraction with hexane and Freon TF (trichlorotrifluoroethane). Average recoveries exceeding 80% for these organochlorine pesticides were obtained via the SPE method using small cartridges containing 100 mg of 40 microns C18-bonded porous silica. The average recovery by solvent extraction with hexane and Freon TF exceeded 90% in both instances. It was concluded that the recoveries and precision for the SPE of organochlorine pesticides were poorer than those for the solvent extraction method. Organochlorine pesticide residue levels in environmental water samples from two major rivers flowing through predominantly rice-growing areas were monitored by gas chromatography using the solvent extraction method with hexane. Exceptionally high levels of organochlorine pesticide residues such as BHC, DDT, heptachlor, endosulfan and dieldrin were found in these water samples.     

土壤中有机氯农药残留分析用标准样品的制备

介绍了土壤中有机氯农药残留分析用标准样品的制备方法。土壤样品经风干、研磨、筛分、混匀后装瓶。样品经索氏提取、弗罗里硅土小柱净化后,采用气相色谱-质谱法对残留的有机氯农药进行测定。结果表明,采自沈阳地区的土壤中的有机氯农药含量分布较为均匀,是一种理想的环境标准样品候选物样品。该研究为土壤中有机氯农药残留分析用标准样品的研制奠定了基础。     

Preparation of reference material for organochlorine pesticides in a herbal matrix

The development of reference material for four organochlorine pesticides, namely hexachlorobenzene and three isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane), in a ginseng root sample is presented. Raw materials (Panax ginseng) were purchased from a local market and confirmed to contain certain levels of incurred organochlorine pesticide residues by a validated gas chromatography-mass selective detection method. A total of more than 300 bottles each containing 25 g of samples were prepared after the materials had been freeze-dried, milled and thoroughly mixed. The homogeneity and stability of samples from randomly selected bottles were verified and the reference values were characterized using a highly precise isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (ID-GCMS) method that was recently developed by our laboratory. The purity of standard organochlorine chemicals was determined against certified reference materials to establish the accuracy of the ID-GCMS analysis. The concentrations (+/- expanded uncertainty) of hexachlorobenzene, alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane in the reference material were 0.198 +/- 0.015, 0.450 +/- 0.022, 0.213 +/- 0.011 and 0.370 +/- 0.032 mg kg(-1), respectively. A portion (70 bottles) of the samples was also used in a proficiency testing (PT) scheme for assessing the testing capabilities of field laboratories. The consensus mean values of the PT obtained from the 70 participants were on the same order but deviated by -2.7 to -14.1% from those of the assigned reference values. Because of the wide spread of participants' data (relative standard deviation ranging from 44 to 56%), the PT results were not included in the calculation of the assigned values of the reference materials. The materials served as suitable reference materials to ascertain the quality control and validation processes for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in herbal matrices.     

Supercritical fluid extraction and clean-up of organochlorine pesticides in Chinese herbal medicine

A method involving the simultaneous extraction and clean-up of 13 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) was developed using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) followed by gas chromatography-electron capture detection and mass spectrometric confirmation. The pesticides in the study consisted of alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-benzene hexachloride, heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, endosulfan I, 4,4'-DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethene), dieldrin, endrin, 4,4'-DDD (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane), endosulfan II, 4,4'-DDT (2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)1,1,1-trichloroethane), endrin aldehyde, and endosulfan sulfate. A series of experiments was conducted to optimize the final extraction conditions [pure CO2, 250 atm extraction pressure (1 atm = 101,325 Pa), 50 degrees C extraction temperature, 5 min static extraction time, 20 min dynamic extraction time, 2.0-g Florisil sorbent on top of 0.1-g samples, 12-ml n-hexane eluting at 1 ml/min, and a 10-ml extraction vessel]. Florisil sorbent was placed with the sample in the SFE vessel to provide a facile and effective clean-up approach. Mean recoveries of 78-121% with reproducibilities of 5-31% were obtained for the pesticides except for endosulfan II, endosulfan sulfate and endrin aldehyde. The simple and rapid method may be used to determine OCPs in CHMs routinely, and in fact, was used to analyze CHMs sold in Taiwan.     

Development of pork fat reference material for OCPs BCR-CRM 430

Summary A pork fat sample was prepared and tested as candidate reference material for 10 organochlorine pesticides and metabolites (OCPs): hexachlorobenzene, -, - and -HCH, -heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, endrin, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-TDE and p,p'-DDE. Preparation and testing for homogeneity and stability of the OCPs in the pork fat are discussed. The coefficient of variation of pesticide determinations carried out to test the between-ampoule homogeneity ranged from 2.4–5.8% and was found to be very similar to that for the analytical method (2.5–4.9%). This means that the homogeneity is very good. Stability data over 12 months do not show any trends that suggest lack of stability.     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides and their metabolites in soil samples using headspace solid-phase microextraction

An analytical procedure was developed using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) for the determination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and their metabolites in sandy soil samples. The developed procedures involving fiber selection, temperature effect, absorption time, soil matrix and the addition of solvents of different polarity were optimized. Also, the results were compared to those achieved using Soxhlet extraction standard method. The 100-microm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and 65-microm PDMS-divinylbenzene showed good extraction efficiency for 18 organochlorine pesticides. An increase in the extraction efficiency of organochlorine pesticides and the metabolites was observed when the temperature increased, and an optimum temperature of 70 degrees C for extracting OCPs was obtained. The application of other hydrophilic solvents had different effects on the extraction of organochlorine pesticides and the metabolites. Higher responses of OCPs were obtained when 5 ml of water was added to the soil. Good linearity of OCPs between 0.2 and 4 ng/g soil was observed. The relative standard deviation was found to be lower than 25%. Also the limits of detection were between 0.06 and 0.65 ng/g, which were lower than those obtained using Soxhlet extraction. Moreover, the optimized HS-SPME procedure was applied to the analysis of OCPs in certified reference material (CRM) 804-050 soil and compared with Soxhlet extraction procedure. Results obtained in this study were in good agreement with those obtained using Soxhlet extraction. The mean values obtained using HS-SPME technique were in the range of 16.5 to 1459.6 mg/kg, which corresponds to the recoveries of 68% to 127% of the certified values of CRM soil.     

Certification of an animal feed reference material for the organochlorine pesticide contents: BCR CRM 115

 An animal feed reference material has been prepared and enriched with 15 organochlorine pesticides at levels close to the maximum residue limits set up in the European Directive 74/63/EEC. The homogeneity of the material has been assessed on the basis of the pesticide contents at a level of sample intake of 5 g. The one year stability study revealed an instability of heptachlor, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDT, α-HCH and γ-HCH (decrease in content) and p,p′-TDE (increase) at +37 °C; at +20 °C no instability could be demonstrated. The material has been certified in an interlaboratory certification study for: HCB (0.0194 mg/kg), β-HCH (0.023 mg/kg), γ-HCH (0.0218 mg/kg), heptachlor (0.019 mg/kg), γ-Chlordane (0.048 mg/kg), α-Endosulfan (0.046 mg/kg), Dieldrin (0.018 mg/kg), Endrin (0.046 mg/kg), o,p′-DDT (0.046 mg/kg) and p,p′-DDE (0.047 mg/kg). The α-HCH isomer, Aldrin, β-Heptachloro-epoxide, p,p′-DDT and p,p′-TDE could not be certified. The methods used for the certification are described as well as the major difficulties encountered in the study. Received: 1 July 1996/Revised: 14 October 1996/Accepted: 16 October 1996     

Certification of an animal feed reference material for the organochlorine pesticide contents: BCR CRM 115

 An animal feed reference material has been prepared and enriched with 15 organochlorine pesticides at levels close to the maximum residue limits set up in the European Directive 74/63/EEC. The homogeneity of the material has been assessed on the basis of the pesticide contents at a level of sample intake of 5 g. The one year stability study revealed an instability of heptachlor, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDT, α-HCH and γ-HCH (decrease in content) and p,p′-TDE (increase) at +37 °C; at +20 °C no instability could be demonstrated. The material has been certified in an interlaboratory certification study for: HCB (0.0194 mg/kg), β-HCH (0.023 mg/kg), γ-HCH (0.0218 mg/kg), heptachlor (0.019 mg/kg), γ-Chlordane (0.048 mg/kg), α-Endosulfan (0.046 mg/kg), Dieldrin (0.018 mg/kg), Endrin (0.046 mg/kg), o,p′-DDT (0.046 mg/kg) and p,p′-DDE (0.047 mg/kg). The α-HCH isomer, Aldrin, β-Heptachloro-epoxide, p,p′-DDT and p,p′-TDE could not be certified. The methods used for the certification are described as well as the major difficulties encountered in the study. Received: 1 July 1996/Revised: 14 October 1996/Accepted: 16 October 1996     

大葱中25种有机磷农药多残留的微波净化-气相色谱测定

采用微波净化去除大葱中硫醚干扰、气相色谱-火焰光度检测(GC-FPD)实现了大葱基质中25种有机磷农药多残留的快速检测。25种有机磷的加标回收率为85.2%~119.6%,相对标准偏差为2.1%～14.8%。大多数农药在0.1～5.0 mg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数不低于0.9910,检出限为0.025~0.200 mg/L。     

Microwave-assisted extraction and mild saponification for determination of organochlorine pesticides in oyster samples

A sample-preparation procedure (extraction and saponification) using microwave energy is proposed for determination of organochlorine pesticides in oyster samples. A Plackett-Burman factorial design has been used to optimize the microwave-assisted extraction and mild saponification on a freeze dried sample spiked with a mixture of aldrin, endrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, heptachorepoxide, isodrin, transnonachlor, p, p'-DDE, and p, p'-DDD. Six variables: solvent volume, extraction time, extraction temperature, amount of acetone (%) in the extractant solvent, amount of sample, and volume of NaOH solution were considered in the optimization process. The results show that the amount of sample is statistically significant for dieldrin, aldrin, p, p'-DDE, heptachlor, and transnonachlor and solvent volume for dieldrin, aldrin, and p, p'-DDE. The volume of NaOH solution is statistically significant for aldrin and p, p'-DDE only. Extraction temperature and extraction time seem to be the main factors determining the efficiency of extraction process for isodrin and p, p'-DDE, respectively. The optimized procedure was compared with conventional Soxhlet extraction.