Magnetic solid‐phase extraction of benzoylurea insecticides in tea samples with Fe3O4‐hyperbranched polyester magnetic composite as sorbent

In this work, a method for the analysis of benzoylurea insecticides, including hexaflumuron, flufenoxuron, lufenuron and chlorfluazuron, in tea samples by high‐performance liquid chromatography with Fe₃O₄‐hyperbranched polyester nanocomposite as the adsorbent for magnetic solid‐phase extraction was developed. The magnetic nanocomposite was prepared and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and scanning electron microscopy. The as‐prepared nanocomposite was used as a sorbent for the extraction and preconcentration of pesticide residues in tea samples. The extraction and desorption conditions, including mass ratios of raw materials, amount of sorbent, pH value, extraction time, and desorption time, were investigated. Under the final conditions chosen for the analysis, good linearity was obtained for all the tested compounds, with R² values of at least 0.9979. The limits of detection were determined in the range of 0.15–0.3 μg/L. The recovery obtained from the analysis of tea samples with various spiked concentrations was between 90.7 and 98.4%, with relative standard deviations (n = 4) lower than 4.1%. Furthermore, the present approach was successfully applied to the quantitative determination of residues of benzoylurea insecticides in real samples.     

Magnetic solid‐phase extraction or dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for pyrethroid determination in environmental samples

The determination of 15 pyrethroids in soil and water samples was carried out by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Compounds were extracted from the soil samples (4 g) using solid–liquid extraction and then salting‐out assisted liquid–liquid extraction. The acetonitrile phase obtained (0.8 mL) was used as a dispersant solvent, to which 75 μL of chloroform was added as an extractant solvent, submitting the mixture to dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. For the analysis of water samples (40 mL), magnetic solid‐phase extraction was performed using nanocomposites of magnetic nanoparticles and multiwalled carbon nanotubes as sorbent material (10 mg). The mixture was shaken for 45 min at room temperature before separation with a magnet and desorption with 3 mL of acetone using ultrasounds for 5 min. The solvent was evaporated and reconstituted with 100 μL acetonitrile before injection. Matrix‐matched calibration is recommended for quantification of soil samples, while water samples can be quantified by standards calibration. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.03–0.5 ng/g (soil) and 0.09–0.24 ng/mL (water), depending on the analyte. The analyzed environmental samples did not contain the studied pyrethroids, at least above the corresponding limits of detection.     

Simultaneous determination of seven nitrogen‐containing phenyl ethers in cosmetics by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and dispersive solid‐phase extraction

An analytical method was established for the simultaneous determination of seven nitrogen‐containing phenyl ethers (2‐anisidine, 3‐anisidine, 4‐anisidine, 2‐nitroanisole, 3‐nitroanisole, 4‐nitroanisole, and 3,3'‐dimethoxybenzidine) in cosmetics by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry in this work. The samples were extracted with ethyl acetate and purified with primary secondary amine during the dispersed solid‐phase extraction. The analytes were separated by a DB‐17MS column and detected in the electron ionization mode of mass spectrometry in the selected ions monitoring mode. The extraction solvent, purification adsorbents, and chromatographic column behavior were optimized. The results indicated that the seven analytes show good linear relationship (R ² > 0.9965) in the concentrations of 5.0–5000 μg/L. The quantitation limits of the method ranged from 19.0 to 84.8 μg/kg. The recovery rates of seven analytes were in the range of 72.6–114% with the relative standard deviations of 1.1–7.5%. Real sample analyses showed that this accurate and precise method could be appropriate for simultaneous determination of seven nitrogen‐containing phenyl ethers in cosmetics.     

Dispersive solid‐phase extraction combined with dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction for simultaneous determination of seven succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicides in watermelon by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, a simple and accurate sample preparation method based on dispersive solid‐phase extraction and dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction has been developed for the determination of seven novel succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicides (isopyrazam, fluopyram, pydiflumetofen, boscalid, penthiopyrad, fluxapyroxad, and thifluzamide) in watermelon. The watermelon samples were extracted with acetonitrile, cleaned up by dispersive solid‐phase extraction procedure using primary secondary amine, extracted and concentrated by the dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction procedure with 1,1,2,2‐tetrachloroethane, and then analyzed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The main experimental factors affecting the performance of dispersive solid‐phase extraction and dispersive liquid‐liquid microextraction procedure on extraction efficiency were investigated. The proposed method had a good linearity in the range of 0.1–100 µg/kg with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.9979–0.9999. The limit of quantification of seven fungicides was 0.1 µg/kg in the method. The fortified recoveries of seven succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicides at three levels ranged from 72.0 to 111.6% with relative standard deviations of 3.4–14.1% (n = 5). The proposed method was successfully used for the rapid determination of seven succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicides in watermelon.     

Multiresidue analysis of glucocorticoids in milk by LC–MS/MS with low‐temperature purification and dispersive solid‐phase extraction

A multiresidue method for the determination of 12 glucocorticoids (clobetasol propionate, budesonide, triamcinolone, triamcinolone acetonide, fludrocortisone acetate, flumethasone, beclomethasone, prednisone acetate, 6‐α‐methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, cortisone, and prednisone) in bovine milk was developed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Isoflupredone was used as an internal standard. Milk samples were treated with ethyl acetate to extract glucocorticoids and were frozen at −20°C for 6 h to precipitate fat. The extract was dried under nitrogen, and residues were dissolved in an acetonitrile/water solution. A further clean‐up step was used by dispersive solid‐phase extraction, with octadecyl silica and primary secondary amine as the absorbents. The recoveries of glucocorticoids spiked at 0.5, 1.0, 10.0 μg/kg ranged from 75.7 to 117.3%, except for clobetasol propionate and budesonide (16.1–49.5%). The limits of quantification were 0.01–0.5 μg/kg in milk. This method has been successfully applied in real samples. The results demonstrated that this method is simple, robust, and suitable for identification of glucocorticoid residues in milk.     

Hypercrosslinked particles for the extraction of sweeteners using dispersive solid‐phase extraction from environmental samples

This work presents a new extraction material, namely, Q‐100, based on hypercrosslinked magnetic particles, which was tested in dispersive solid‐phase extraction for a group of sweeteners from environmental samples. The hypercrosslinked Q‐100 magnetic particles had the advantage of suitable pore size distribution and high surface area, and showed good retention behavior toward sweeteners. Different dispersive solid‐phase extraction parameters such as amount of magnetic particles or extraction time were optimized. Under optimum conditions, Q‐100 showed suitable apparent recovery, ranging in the case of river water sample from 21 to 88% for all the sweeteners, except for alitame (12%). The validated method based on dispersive solid‐phase extraction using Q‐100 followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry provided good linearity and limits of quantification between 0.01 and 0.1 μg/L. The method was applied to analyze samples from river water and effluent wastewater, and four sweeteners (acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, and sucralose) were found in both types of sample.     

Polypyrrole‐magnetite dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction combined with ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry for the determination of rhodamine 6G and crystal violet in textile wastewater

Polypyrrole‐magnetite dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction method combined with ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry was developed for the determination of selected cationic dyes in textile wastewater. Polypyrrole‐magnetite was used as adsorbent due to its thermal stability, magnetic properties, and ability to adsorb Rhodamine 6G and crystal violet. Dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction parameters were optimized, including sample pH, adsorbent amount, extraction time, and desorption solvent. The optimum polypyrrole‐magnetite dispersive micro‐solid phase‐extraction conditions were sample pH 8, 60 mg polypyrrole‐magnetite adsorbent, 5 min of extraction time, and acetonitrile as the desorption solvent. Under the optimized conditions, the polypyrrole‐magnetite dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction with ultraviolet‐visible method showed good linearity in the range of 0.05–7 mg/L (R ² > 0.9980). The method also showed a good limit of detection for the dyes (0.05 mg/L) and good analyte recoveries (97.4–111.3%) with relative standard deviations < 10%. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of dyes in textile wastewater samples where the concentration found was 1.03 mg (RSD ±7.9%) and 1.13 mg/L (RSD ± 4.6%) for Rhodamine 6G and crystal violet, respectively. It can be concluded that this method can be adopted for the rapid extraction and determination of dyes at trace concentration levels.     

Application of a dispersive solid‐phase extraction method using an amino‐based silica‐coated nanomagnetic sorbent for the trace quantification of chlorophenoxyacetic acids in water samples

Herein, an amino‐based silica‐coated nanomagnetic sorbent was applied for the effective extraction of two chlorophenoxyacetic acids (2‐methyl‐4‐chlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) from various water samples. The sorbent was successfully synthesized and subsequently characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. The analytes were extracted by the sorbent mainly through ionic interactions. Once the extraction of analytes was completed, they were desorbed from the sorbent and detected by high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. A number of factors affecting the extraction and desorption of the analytes were investigated in detail and the optimum conditions were established. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 1–250, and based on a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3, the method detection limits were determined to be 0.5 μg/L for both analytes. Additionally, a preconcentration factor of 314 was achieved for the analytes. The average relative recoveries obtained from the fortified water samples varied in the range of 91–108% with relative standard deviations of 2.9–8.3%. Finally, the method was determined to be robust and effective for environmental water analysis.     

Dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction using carbon‐based adsorbents for the sensitive determination of verapamil in plasma samples coupled with capillary electrophoresis

A dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction procedure coupled with capillary electrophoresis ultraviolet detection was developed for determination of verapamil in plasma samples. Graphene oxide/polydopamin was synthesized by a one‐step polymerization method, and graphene oxide/Fe₃O₄ (magnetic graphene oxide) nanocomposite was prepared by coprecipitation method. Moreover, they were fully characterized. The use of hazardous and water‐immiscible solvents was scaled down, and only 500 μL of acetone was required as the desorption solvent. The detector response concentration plots were linear in the range of 5–500 ng/mL, and the proposed method was validated according to guidelines. The precision and accuracy were less than 15%. Dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction method provides a rapid, environmentally friendly, and sensitive analysis for the verapamil in patient plasma samples, which is adequate for therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies.     

Selective and sensitive determination of silver ions at trace levels based on ultrasonic‐assisted dispersive solid‐phase extraction using ion‐imprinted polymer nanoparticles

We describe ultrasonic‐assisted dispersive solid‐phase extraction based on ion‐imprinted polymer (UA‐DSPE‐IIP) nanoparticles for the selective extraction of silver ions. Ultrasound is a good and robust method to facilitate the extraction of target ions in the sorption step and elution of the target ions in the desorption step. The IIP nanoparticles used in the UA‐DSPE‐IIP were prepared by precipitation polymerization. To prepare the IIP nanoparticles, 2‐vinylpyridine, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile, 2‐picolinic acid, silver and chloroform–methanol (50:50) solution were used as functional monomer, cross‐linker, initiator, silver‐binding ligand, template ion and porogen, respectively. The IIP nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. A Box–Behnken design was used for optimization of sorption and desorption steps in UA‐DSPE‐IIP. In the sorption step: pH of solution, IIP amount (mg), sonication time for sorption (min); in the desorption step: concentration of eluent (mol l⁻¹), volume of eluent (ml), sonication time (min) for desorption were investigated and optimized by Box–Behnken design. The optimum conditions for the method were: pH of solution, 7; sonication time for sorption, 7 min; IIP amount, 17 mg; type and concentration of eluent, HCl 1.5 mol l⁻¹; volume of eluent, 2 ml; sonication time for desorption, 140 s. Under the optimized conditions the limit of detection and relative standard deviation for the detection of silver ions using UA‐DSPE‐IIP were found to be 0.09 μg l⁻¹ and <3%, respectively.     

Determining multi‐pesticide residues in teas by dispersive solid‐phase extraction combined with speed‐regulated directly suspended droplet microextraction followed by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, an effective speed‐regulated directly suspended droplet microextraction method was developed to condense pesticide residues from teas through dispersive solid‐phase extraction prior to analysis by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The extractant was intentionally dispersed into the sample solution in the form of globules through high‐speed agitation. This procedure increases the contact area between the binary phases and shortens the distribution equilibrium time. The fine globules reassembled by decelerating stirring speed, the extractant could be taken out for gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Recovery studies were performed under optimized extraction conditions by using matrix blanks fortified with pesticides at three concentrations (10, 50, and 100 µg/kg). Over 87% of the recoveries for the analytes in four tea matrices were acceptable given their recovery ranges of 70–120% and relative standard deviations of ≤20%. The limits of quantification of most pesticides were lower than 10 µg/kg and thus satisfied the requirements for maximum residue levels prescribed by the European Community. A total of 38 tea samples from local markets were analyzed by using the proposed method. Results showed that chlorpyrifos was the most frequently detected pesticide in teas. The method is a potential choice for the routine monitoring of pesticide residues in complex matrices.     

Trace determination of five triazole fungicide residues in traditional Chinese medicine samples by dispersive solid‐phase extraction combined with ultrasound‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and UHPLC–MS/MS

A novel and reliable method for determination of five triazole fungicide residues (triadimenol, tebuconazole, diniconazole, flutriafol, and hexaconazol) in traditional Chinese medicine samples was developed using dispersive solid‐phase extraction combined with ultrasound‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction before ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The clean up of the extract was conducted using dispersive solid‐phase extraction by directly adding sorbents into the extraction solution, followed by shaking and centrifugation. After that, a mixture of 400 μL trichloromethane (extraction solvent) and 0.5 mL of the above supernatant was injected rapidly into water for the dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction procedure. The factors affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curves showed good linearity in the range of 2.0–400 (tebuconazole, diniconazole, and hexaconazole) and 4.0–800 ng/g (triadimenol and flutriafol) with the regression coefficients higher than 0.9958. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for the present method were 0.5–1.1 and 1.8–4.0 ng/g, respectively. The recoveries of the target analytes ranged from 80.2 to 103.2%. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of five triazole fungicides in traditional Chinese medicine samples, and satisfactory results were obtained.     

Fast determination of 14 mycotoxins in chestnut by dispersive solid‐phase extraction coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry

A dispersive solid‐phase extraction coupled with ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of T‐2 toxin, penicillic acid, fumonisins B₁, B₂, and B₃, aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁, and G₂, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, 3‐acetyldeoxynivalenol, 15‐acetyldeoxynivalenol, and zearalenone in chestnut samples. The method was used to analyze 136 samples obtained from Shandong province in China. The mycotoxins were extracted using a dispersive solid‐phase extraction method and cleaned using an improved quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe approach. The mycotoxins were then detected using a triple‐quadrupole mass spectrometer. The limits of detection and quantification ranged from 0.02 to 1 and 0.1 to 2 μg/kg, respectively. The recovery rates ranged from 74.2 to 109.5%, with relative standard deviations below 15%. A total of 71 samples were contaminated with seven mycotoxins at concentrations ranging from 1.2 to 105.5 μg/kg, with a number of samples exceeding the maximum limits set in the European regulations for mycotoxins in unprocessed chestnuts.     

Novel functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐ethylene dimethacrylate) microspheres for the solid‐phase extraction of glycopeptides/glycoproteins

Novel 3‐aminophenylboronic acid functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐ethylene dimethacrylate) microspheres were prepared for the solid‐phase extraction of glycopeptides/glycoproteins. The adsorption efficiency, maximum adsorption capacity, and specific recognition of the microspheres to glycoprotein were investigated. The results indicated excellent adsorption of glycoproteins by the microspheres, which are attributed to the well‐defined boronic acid brushes on the microsphere surfaces. Furthermore, a solid‐phase extraction microcolumn filled with the microspheres was used to efficiently enrich glycopeptides from enzymatic hydrolysates from human serum samples. The mass spectrometry results demonstrated that the method is suitable for the separation and enrichment of glycopeptides/glycoproteins from complex biological samples.     

Preparation of magnetic attapulgite/polypyrrole nanocomposites for magnetic effervescence‐assisted dispersive solid‐phase extraction of pyrethroids from honey samples

In this work, a novel extraction technique based on the effervescence‐assisted dispersion and magnetic recovery of attapulgite/polypyrrole sorbents was developed for determining the concentrations of five pyrethroids in honey samples. The magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by a one‐pot method. Several experimental parameters that affected the extraction efficiency, including the dispersion conditions, pH, ionic strength, and desorption conditions, were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the calibration curves for the five pyrethroids in honey samples exhibited good linearity, with r² values ranging from 0.9979 to 0.9990. The limits of detection varied between 0.21 and 0.34 µg/L. Satisfactory recoveries of 81.42–106.73% with intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations of less than 6.94 and 10.89%, respectively, were obtained. Moreover, the sorbents exhibited acceptable batch‐to‐batch repeatability in the range of 5.06–15.01%, and each sorbent could be reused for up to four extraction cycles without a significant loss in the extraction recovery.     

Quantitative determination of trace phenazopyridine in human urine samples by hyphenation of dispersive solid‐phase extraction and liquid‐phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis

Magnetic dispersive solid‐phase extraction followed by dispersive liquid?liquid microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was applied for the quantitative analysis of phenazopyridine in urinary samples. Magnetic dispersive solid‐phase extraction was carried out using magnetic graphene oxide nanoparticles modified by poly(thiophene‐pyrrole) copolymer. The eluting solvent of this step was used as the disperser solvent for the dispersive liquid?liquid microextraction procedure. To reach the maximum efficiency of the method, effective parameters including sorbent amount, adsorption time, type and volume of disperser and extraction solvents, pH of the sample solution, and ionic strength as well as desorption time, and approach were optimized, separately. Characterization of the synthesized sorbent was studied by utilizing infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis. Calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.5?250 ng/mL (R² = 0.9988) with limits of detection and quantification of 0.1 and 0.5 ng/mL, respectively. Intra‐ and interday precisions (RSD%, n = 3) of the method were in the range of 4.6?5.4% and 4.0?5.5%, respectively, at three different concentration levels. Under the optimal condition, this method was successfully applied for the determination of phenazopyridine in human urine samples. The relative recoveries were obtained in the range of 85.0?89.0%.     

l‐Cysteine‐modified silver‐functionalized silica‐based material as an efficient solid‐phase extraction adsorbent for the determination of bisphenol A

A new silver‐functionalized silica‐based material with a core–shell structure based on silver nanoparticle‐coated silica spheres was synthesized, and silver nanoparticles were modified using strongly bound l‐ cysteine. l‐ Cysteine‐silver@silica was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. Then, a solid‐phase extraction method based on l‐ cysteine‐silver@silica was developed and successfully used for bisphenol A determination prior to HPLC analysis. The results showed that the l‐ cysteine‐silver@silica as an adsorbent exhibited good enrichment capability for bisphenol A, and the maximum adsorption saturation was 20.93 mg/g. Moreover, a short adsorption equilibrium time was obtained due to the presence of silver nanoparticles on the surface of the silica. The extraction efficiencies were then optimized by varying the eluents and pH. Under the optimized conditions, good linearity for bisphenol A was obtained in the range from 0.4 to 4.0 μM (R² > 0.99) with a low limit of detection (1.15 ng/mL). The spiked recoveries from tap water and milk samples were satisfactory (85–102%) with relative standard deviations below 5.2% (n = 3), which indicated that the method was suitable for the analysis of bisphenol A in complex samples.     

Dispersive solid‐phase extraction for the determination of trace organochlorine pesticides in apple juices using reduced graphene oxide coated with ZnO nanocomposites as sorbent

In this work, reduced graphene oxide coated with ZnO nanocomposites was used as an efficient sorbent of dispersive solid‐phase extraction and successfully applied for the extraction of organochlorine pesticides from apple juice followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Several experimental parameters affecting the extraction efficiencies, including the amount of adsorbent, extraction time, and the pH of the sample solution, as well as the type and volume of eluent solvent, were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal experimental conditions, good linearity existed in the range of 1.0–200.0 ng/mL for all the analytes with the correlation coefficients (R ²) ranging from 0.9964 to 0.9994. The limits of detection of the method for the compounds were 0.011–0.053 ng/mL. Good reproducibilities were acquired with relative standard deviations below 8.7% for both intraday and interday precision. The recoveries of the method were in the range of 78.1–105.8% with relative standard deviations of 3.3–6.9%.     

A sensitive dispersive micro solid‐phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for determination of three flavonoids in complex matrics by using crab shell as a sorbent

A sensitive dispersive micro solid‐phase extraction coupled with HPLC has been developed for preconcentration and determination of three flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin) in complex matrix samples. Parameters that affect extraction efficiency have been optimized. The optimal extraction conditions are using 2 μg/mL of crab shell as the sorbent, extraction for 2 min at pH 7, and then eluting with 100 μL of methanol. As a result, the method shows good linearity (R > 0.9994), low LODs (even 0.08 ng/ml) and satisfactory recovery in real honey and rat urine samples. As an eco‐friendly biomaterial, crab shell powder is used as sorbent in pretreatment of flavonoids, and its adsorption mechanism has been investigated for the first time. Compared with the other reported methods, the proposed strategy is time‐saving, eco‐friendly, and highly sensitive using HPLC (even achieving MS grade sensitivity).     

Development of a new analytical method for the determination of red beetroot betalains using dispersive solid‐phase extraction

The objective of this study was to develop a method for the determination of red beetroot betalains based on the dispersive solid‐phase extraction and modified QuEChERS methods followed by micro‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer that was equipped with a quadrupole and time‐of‐flight detector. Currently, new techniques for the extraction of the pigments are necessary and in this study, an extraction of beetroot betalains based on the QuEChERS method was developed for the first time. Twelve variants of the methods with different sorbent combinations were tested. The extraction with 15% methanol and with 0.05% formic acid was performed as a reference method to compare the obtained results. In all of the samples with the addition of sorbents, a lower noise was demonstrated in the obtained results. The betalain concentrations obtained using the tested methods were 0.32–0.54 mg g^?1, while the value of the reference method was 0.44 mg g^?1. The method that used the strong ion exchange sorbent (0.44±0.05 mg g^?1) was the most adequate in terms of analyzed content, related standard deviation value and interference compared to the reference method. It was concluded that the properly modified QuEChERS method can be successfully applied for the determination of red beetroot betalains.