Portable flow-injection analyzer with liquid-core waveguide based fluorescence, luminescence, and long path length absorbance detector

We describe a multifunctional flow analysis instrument that is portable ( cm, 2.3 kg) for facile field deployment. Using a 50 cm long Teflon^® AF tubing as final reaction and optical measurement conduit, we combine a liquid-core waveguide (LCW) based fluorescence detector that is transversely illuminated by an addressable light emitting diode array, a chemiluminescence (CL) detector and an absorbance detector with a solid-state broadband (400-700 nm) source. Several illustrative experiments have been carried out to test the performance of the instrument in different detection modes. A S/N=3 limit of detection (LOD) of 0.25 μg l⁻¹ for chromium(VI) was established using the diphenylcarbazide chemistry, and an LOD of 5 μg l⁻¹ was similarly established for Al(III), using Pyrocatechol Violet (PCV) as the chelating chromogenic dye, in both cases using long path absorption detection. The LOD for aqueous hydrogen peroxide was 16 nM using a fluorescence method based on the formation of thiochrome from thiamine and 4 nM by a luminol chemiluminescence method. With a Nafion membrane diffusion scrubber (DS), the LOD was 8.0 pptv for gaseous hydrogen peroxide by the fluorescence method.     

液芯波导与光强差技术测定食品中痕量亚硫酸根

采用超高亮绿色发光二极管作光源,使用9 cm液芯波导管和光强差技术分光光度法测定食品中痕量亚硫酸根.分析采用国标GB/T5009.34-2003方法,线性范围的下限及检出限比通常的分光光度法均下降了1000倍.其线性范围为1.6×10-11～1.6×10-9 g/mL,检出限为5×10-12 g/mL,RSD (n=11,1.6×10-10 g/mL)＜1%.     

Properties and determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables

The intensive development of agriculture means that more and more toxic organic and inorganic compounds are entering the environment. Because of their widespread use, stability, selective toxicity and bioaccumulation, pesticides are among the most toxic substances contaminating the environment. They are particularly dangerous in fruit and vegetables, by which people are exposed to them. It is therefore crucial to monitor pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables using all available analytical methods.We set out the problems in the determination of organonitrogen and organophosphorus pesticides in samples of fruit and vegetables, including the complexity and the diversity of matrices in biological materials, and the very low level of pesticides present, as a result of which target analytes have to be isolated and then enriched prior to final determination.We discuss the various stages in the determination of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables. We present results from the literature in the context of Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) of target pesticides in fruit and vegetable samples. We discuss the merits of the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) technique and two-dimensional gas chromatography.     

Review on recent applications of the liquid waveguide capillary cell in flow based analysis techniques to enhance the sensitivity of spectroscopic detection methods

Incorporation of long path length liquid waveguide capillary cell (LWCC or LCW) into spectrometric detection systems can increase the sensitivity of these by orders of magnitude (up to 500 times), and consequently can reduce the detection limits. The combination of the long path length spectrophotometry with flow methodologies can provide analytical solutions for various challenges in the field of environmental, biochemical and food chemistry.     

Microwave-assisted extraction at atmospheric pressure coupled to different clean-up methods for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in olive and avocado oil

An effective extraction method was devised for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in olive and avocado oil samples, using atmospheric pressure microwave-assisted liquid–liquid extraction (APMAE) and solid-phase extraction or low-temperature precipitation as clean-up step. A simple glass system equipped with an air-cooled condenser was designed as an extraction vessel. The pesticides were partitioned between acetonitrile and oil solution in hexane. Analytical determinations were carried out by gas chromatography-flame photometric detection and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, using a triple quadrupole mass analyzer, for confirmation purposes. Several factors influencing the extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized through fractional factorial design and Doehlert design. Under optimal conditions the recovery of pesticides from oil at 0.025 μg g⁻¹ ranged from 71% to 103%, except for fenthion in avocado oil, with RSDs ≤13% (n = 5). The LOQ for the entire method ranged from 0.004 to 0.015 μg g⁻¹. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction and determination of the selected pesticides in 20 commercially packed extra virgin olive oils and four commercially packed avocado oils produced in Chile. Detectable residues of different OPPs were observed in 85% of samples.     

Application of solid-phase microextraction for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in textiles by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry

A method based on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the determination of 18 organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in textiles is described. Commercially available SPME fibers, 100 μm PDMS and 85 μm PA, were compared and 85 μm PA exhibited better performance to the OPPs. Various parameters affecting SPME, including extraction and desorption time, extraction temperature, salinity and pH, were studied. The optimized conditions were: 35 min extraction at 25 °C, 5% NaSO₄ content, pH 7.0, and 3.5 min desorption in GC injector port at 250 °C. The linear ranges of the SPME-GC/MS method were 0.1-500 μg L⁻¹ for most of the OPPs. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.01 μg L⁻¹ (for bromophos-ethyl) to 55 μg L⁻¹ (for azinphos-methyl) and the RSDs were between 0.66% and 9.22%. The optimized method was then used to analyze 18 OPPs in textile sample, and the determined recoveries were ranged from 76.7% to 126.8%. Moreover, the distribution coefficients of the OPPs between 85 μm PA fiber and simulative sweat solution (K_pa/s) were determined. The determined K_pa/s of the OPPs correlated well with their octanol-water partition coefficients (r = 0.764 and 0.678) and water solubility (r = −0.892 and −0.863).     

Optimization of a single-drop microextraction procedure for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water and fruit juice with gas chromatography-flame photometric detection

A single-drop microextraction (SDME) procedure was developed for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in water and fruit juice by gas chromatography (GC) with flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). The significant parameters affecting the SDME performance such as selection of microextraction solvent, solvent volume, extraction time, stirring rate, sample pH and temperature, and ionic strength were studied and optimized. Two types of SDME mode, static and cycle-flow SDME, were evaluated. The static SDME procedure provided more sensitive analysis of the target analytes. Therefore, static SDME with tributyl phosphate (TBP) as internal standard was selected for the real sample analysis. The limits of detection (LODs) in water for the six studied compounds were between 0.21 and 0.56 ng/mL with the relative standard deviations ranging from 1.7 to 10.0%. Linear response data was obtained in the concentration range of 0.5-50 ng/mL (except for dichlorvos 1.0-50 ng/mL) with correlation coefficients from 0.9995 to 0.9999. Environmental water sample collected from East Lake and fruit juice samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method, but none of the analytes in both lake water and fruit juice were detected. The recoveries for the spiked water and juice samples were from 77.7 to 113.6%. Compared with the conventional methods, the proposed method enabled a rapid and simple determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water and fruit juice with minimal solvent consumption and a higher concentration capability.     

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。     

Multivariate optimisation of a rapid and simple automated method for bismuth determination in well water samples exploiting long path length spectrophotometry

An automated spectrophotometric system is proposed for the determination of bismuth in well water samples, using multi-syringe flow injection analysis (MSFIA) and exploiting a liquid waveguide capillary cell (LWCC). This method is based on the colorimetric reaction of bismuth and methylthymol blue (MTB) in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in acid medium (0.1 mol L^?1 HNO₃). The Bi(III)–MTB complex was measured at 600 nm. The method was optimised by multivariate techniques. Some figures of merit of the proposed system are worth being highlighted, such as its wide linear working range (between 4.9 and 600 μg L^?1), its low detection limit (1.5 μg L^?1 of bismuth) and its high intra-day precision and inter-day precision (0.7% (n = 12) and 1.4% (n = 5), respectively, both expressed as RSD). Moreover, a high injection frequency of 30 h^?1 is achieved, as the proposed analyser is a powerful tool for fast Bi(III) determination. The method developed was successfully validated by analysing reference samples (pharmaceutical samples) by comparing the results with those obtained by ICP-OES and it was satisfactorily applied to well water samples. Besides, the present system is miniaturised allowing in situ measurements in control processes and field analysis.     

Polyol‐enhanced dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with gas chromatography and nitrogen phosphorous detection for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides from aqueous samples,fruit juices,and vegetables

Polyol‐enhanced dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction has been proposed for the extraction and preconcentration of some organophosphorus pesticides from different samples. In the present study, a high volume of an aqueous phase containing a polyol (sorbitol) is prepared and then a disperser solvent along with an extraction solvent is rapidly injected into it. Sorbitol showed the best results and it was more effective on the extraction recoveries of the analytes than inorganic salts such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and sodium sulfate. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the method showed low limits of detection and quantification within the ranges of 12–56 and 44–162 pg/mL, respectively. Enrichment factors and extraction recoveries were in the ranges of 2799–3033 and 84–92%, respectively. The method precision was evaluated at a concentration of 10 ng/mL of each analyte, and relative standard deviations were found to be less than 5.9% for intraday (n = 6) and less than 7.8% for interday (n = 4). Finally, some aqueous samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method and four analytes (diazinon, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos, and phosalone) were determined, some of them at ng/mL level.     

Residues of some organophosphorus pesticides on and in fruits and vegetables available in Poland,an assessment based on the European union regulations and health assessment for human populations

Abstract

The use of organophosphorus pesticides is undeniably beneficial in agriculture and veterinary medicine, but their excessive use can pollute the environment, as well as contaminate foodstuffs. The objective of this study was to assess contamination of vegetables and fruits available in Poland by organophosphate pesticides (ethoprophos, diazinon, chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, parathion-methyl, fenchlorphos, merfos,, as well as to assess a potential health risk posed to consumers. The pesticide content was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The pesticides were detected in the peel and pulp of vegetables and fruits from Polish crops, as well as imported ones. Pesticide levels in most products were higher in the peel than in the pulp. Neither chlorpyrifos-methyl nor fenchlorphos were found in the material under study. Chlorpyrifos was the pesticide occurring in the highest levels in the peel of both vegetables (31?ng?·?g^?1 w.w.) and fruit (9.3?ng?·?g^?1 w.w.). The Maximum Residue Level (MRL) for parathion-methyl was exceeded in some samples of zucchini pulp of Spanish origin and in the peel of potato from Poland. But levels of other pesticides in the studied vegetables and fruits were significantly lower than the current MRLs. The assessment of consumer health risk showed a significantly lower Lifetime Average Daily Dose (LADD) of pesticides under this study comparing to the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). Moreover, the Hazard Quotient (HQ) was low with a maximum of 3.93?×?10^?2 for vegetables and 4.26?×?10^?3 for fruits. These estimated HQs were within the safe acceptable limits, indicating low risk to human populations from exposure to organophosphorus pesticides in the study area.     

自制双层固相萃取柱在新会陈皮及其制品中11种有机磷农药测定中的应用

以自制改性多壁碳纳米管（MWNTs）和N-丙基乙二胺（PSA）填料分层填装的双层固相萃取柱为净化柱,建立了测定陈皮及其制品中11种有机磷农药残留的分析方法。样品经乙酸乙酯提取、离心后,固相萃取柱净化,净化液经Agilent RTS-1701毛细管柱分离,火焰光度检测器检测,外标法定量。考察了填料类型、填料用量、洗脱方式等因素对提取效率的影响。在优化条件下,11种有机磷农药检测的线性范围为0.020~1.0 mg/L,相关系数为0.9990~0.9998,检出限为3.5~9.6 μ g/kg。样品在10、25、100 μg/kg 3种水平下的加标回收率为50.8%~109%,相对标准偏差为2.7%~8.5%。该法准确度和灵敏度高、操作简单、快速,检出限能满足对有机磷农药残留的限量要求。自制固相萃取柱可降低成本,值得推广应用。     

Sol–gel polydimethylsiloxane/poly(vinylalcohol)‐coated stir bar sorptive extraction of organophosphorus pesticides in honey and their determination by large volume injection GC

A PDMS/poly(vinylalcohol) (PDMS/PVA) film prepared through a sol–gel process was coated on stir bars for sorptive extraction, followed by liquid desorption and large volume injection–GC–flame photometric detector (LVI–GC–FPD) for the determination of five organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) (phorate, fenitrothion, malathion, parathion, and quinalphos) in honey. The preparation reproducibility of PDMS/PVA‐coated stir bar ranged from 4.3 to 13.4% (n = 4) in one batch, and from 6.0 to 12.6% (n = 4) in batch to batch. And one prepared stir bar can be used for more than 50 times without apparent coating loss. The significant parameters affecting stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) were investigated and optimized. The LODs for five OPPs ranged from 0.013 (parathion) to 0.081 μg/L (phorate) with the RSDs ranging from 5.3 to 14.2% (c = 1 μg/L, n = 6). The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of five OPPs in honey.     

Combination of dispersive solid‐phase extraction and salting‐out homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in cereal grains

A new analytical method for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in cereal samples was developed by combining dispersive SPE (d‐SPE) and salting‐out homogeneous liquid–liquid extraction (SHLLE). The pesticides were first extracted from cereal grains with acetonitrile, followed by d‐SPE cleanup. A 2 mL aliquot of the extract was then added to a centrifuge tube containing 9.2 mL water and 3.3 g NaCl for SHLLE. Analysis of the extract was carried out by gas chromatography coupled with flame photometric detection. The d‐SPE procedure effectively provides the necessary cleanup of the extract while SHLLE is used as an efficient concentration technique. Experimental parameters influencing the extraction efficiency including amounts of added water and salt were investigated. Recovery studies were carried out at three fortification levels, yielding recoveries in the range of 57.7–98.1% with the RSD from 3.7 to 10.9%. The reported limits of determination obtained from this study were 1 μg/kg, which is better than the conventional methods. In the analysis of 40 wheat and corn samples taken from Beijing suburbs, only two wheat samples have chlorpyrifos residue over the limits of determination.     

Temperature‐controlled ultrasound‐ and vortex‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction combined with GC for the determination of the concentrations of organophosphorus pesticides in beverage samples

The aim of this work was to develop temperature‐controlled ultrasound‐ and vortex‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction as a fast and efficient approach for the extraction of nine organophosphorus pesticides in beverage samples followed by GC with flame photometric detection analysis. The combination of ultrasonication and vortexing were used to assist the microextraction, and the use of a dispersion solvent was avoided. Several variables that could potentially affect the extraction efficiency, namely, the type and volume of extraction solvent, sequence, and time of ultrasonication and vortexing, ultrasonication bath temperature and ionic strength were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the calibration graphs were linear over the range of 0.5–200 μg/L. The LOD (S/N = 3) was between 0.01 and 0.05. The optimized method exhibited a good precision level with RSD values between 4.5 and 9.8%. The enrichment factors for the nine organophosphorus pesticides were between 224 and 339. Four beverage samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method.     

程序升温大体积进样和解卷积气相色谱-质谱法测定蔬菜水果中32种农药残留量

建立了蔬菜、水果中有机磷、有机氯、拟除虫菊酯和氨基甲酸酯等32种农药的气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)检测方法。样品经乙腈提取,石墨碳黑串联丙氨基固相萃取柱净化,采用程序升温大体积进样,GC-MS全扫描模式采集,结合解卷积技术定性分析,内标法定量。分别对程序升温和大体积进样等条件进行了研究,并考察了方法选择性和耐用性。在最优条件下,32种农药的响应值与浓度呈良好的线性关系(r>0.995),各农药的方法检出限为2.0~5.0 μg/kg,以菠菜、四季豆和黄瓜为代表基质,进行3个水平(0.010~0.50 mg/kg)的加标回收试验(n=6),回收率为65.2%~120.3%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为4.1%~22.3%。该方法快速、灵敏、可靠、耐用,能满足蔬菜、水果中多类多残留痕量分析的要求。     

Comparison of polydimethyl siloxane stationary phases with 5% and 50% phenyl substitution for the separation of organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides under optimized gas chromatographic conditions

The CGC analysis of 25 organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides was optimized on two different stationary phases, namely a 5% diphenyl dimethyl silicone (SE-54 type) and a 50% diphenyl dimethyl silicone (OV-17 type) by selecting the best temperature program conditions, using computer simulation.     

Vortex‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction using a low‐toxicity solvent for the determination of five organophosphorus pesticides in water samples by high‐performance liquid chromatography

Vortex‐assisted liquid–liquid microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection was applied to determine Isocarbophos, Parathion‐methyl, Triazophos, Phoxim and Chlorpyrifos‐methyl in water samples. 1‐Bromobutane was used as the extraction solvent, which has a higher density than water and low toxicity. Centrifugation and disperser solvent were not required in this microextraction procedure. The optimum extraction conditions for 15 mL water sample were: pH of the sample solution, 5; volume of the extraction solvent, 80 μL; vortex time, 2 min; salt addition, 0.5 g. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factors ranging from 196 to 237 and limits of detection below 0.38 μg/L were obtained for the determination of target pesticides in water. Good linearities (r > 0.9992) were obtained within the range of 1–500 μg/L for all the compounds. The relative standard deviations were in the range of 1.62–2.86% and the recoveries of spiked samples ranged from 89.80 to 104.20%. The whole proposed methodology is simple, rapid, sensitive and environmentally friendly for determining traces of organophosphorus pesticides in the water samples.     

加速溶剂萃取-凝胶渗透色谱净化-气相色谱快速分析动物源性食品中残留的多种有机磷农药

建立了动物源性食品猪肉、牛肉、鸡肉及鱼肉中36种有机磷农药残留的快速分析方法。以乙腈作为溶剂,对试样采用加速溶剂萃取仪萃取,自动凝胶渗透色谱仪净化预处理,N-丙基乙二胺(PSA)填料再净化,毛细管气相色谱法分离,火焰光度检测器(磷型)检测,内标法定量。该方法分离效果良好,重现性好,灵敏度、精密度高,杂质干扰少。36种有机磷农药的检测限(LOD)为0.0012 mg/kg(乙拌磷)～0.014 mg/kg(吡唑硫磷),定量限(LOQ)为0.004 mg/kg(乙拌磷)～0.047 mg/kg(吡唑硫磷)。当试样中有机磷农药的添加浓度分别为0.05,0.1,0.2 mg/kg时,回收率为58.2%～106.3%。方法的最低检测限和添加回收率均符合农药残留分析的要求。     

Overcoming matrix effects using the dilution approach in multiresidue methods for fruits and vegetables

During recent years matrix effects in liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) have quickly become a major concern in food analysis. The phenomenon of ion suppression can lead to errors in the quantification of the analytes of interest, as well as can affect detection capability, precision, and accuracy of the method. Sample dilution is an easy and effective method to reduce interfering compounds, and so, to diminish matrix effects. In this work, matrix effects of 53 pesticides in three different matrices (orange, tomato and leek) were evaluated. Several dilutions of the matrix were tested in order to study the evolution of signal suppression. Dilution of the extracts led to a reduction of the signal suppression in most of the cases. A dilution factor of 15 demonstrated to be enough to eliminate most of the matrix effects, opening the possibility to perform quantification with solvent based standards in the majority of the cases. In those cases where signal suppression could not be reduced, a possible solution would be to use stable isotope-labelled internal standards for quantification of the problematic pesticides.