Application of Raman Spectroscopy Technique to Agricultural Products Quality and Safety DeterminationSCIEI北大核心CSCD

The quality and safety of agricultural products and people health are inseparable. Using the conventional chemical methods which have so many defects, such as sample pretreatment, complicated operation process and destroying the samples. Raman spectroscopy as a powerful tool of analysing and testing molecular structure, can implement samples quickly without damage, qualitative and quantitative detection analysis. With the continuous improvement and the scope of the application of Raman spectroscopy technology gradually widen, Raman spectroscopy technique plays an important role in agricultural products quality and safety determination, and has wide application prospects. There have been a lot of related research reports based on Raman spectroscopy detection on agricultural product quality safety at present. For the understanding of the principle of detection and the current development situation of Raman spectroscopy, as well as tracking the latest research progress both at home and abroad, the basic principles and the development of Raman spectroscopy as well as the detection device were introduced briefly. The latest research progress of quality and safety determination in fruits and vegetables, livestock and grain by Raman spectroscopy technique were reviewed deeply. Its technical problems for agricultural products quality and safety determination were pointed out. In addition, the text also briefly introduces some information of Raman spectrometer and the application for patent of the portable Raman spectrometer, prospects the future research and application.     

Determination of benzimidazolic fungicides in fruits and vegetables by supramolecular solvent-based microextraction/liquid chromatography/fluorescence detection

A supramolecular solvent consisting of vesicles, made up of equimolecular amounts of decanoic acid (DeA) and tetrabutylammonium decanoate (Bu₄NDe), dispersed in a continuous aqueous phase, is proposed for the extraction of benzimidazolic fungicides (BFs) from fruits and vegetables. Carbendazim (CB), thiabendazole (TB) and fuberidazole (FB) were extracted in a single step and no clean-up or concentration of extracts was needed. The high extraction efficiency obtained for BFs was a result of the different types of interactions provided by the supramolecular solvent (e.g. hydrophobic and hydrogen bonds) and the high number of solubilisation sites it contains. Besides simple and efficient, the proposed extraction approach was rapid, low-cost, environment friendly and it was implemented using conventional lab equipments. The target analytes were determined in the supramolecular extract by LC/fluorescence detection. They were separated in a Kromasil C₁₈ (5 μm, 150 mm × 4.6 mm) column using isocratic elution [mobile phase: 60:40 (v/v) 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 4)/methanol] and quantified at 286/320 nm (CB) and 300/350 nm (TB and FB) excitation/emission wavelengths, respectively. Quantitation limits provided by the supramolecular solvent-based microextraction (SUSME)/LC/fluorescence detection proposed method for the determination of CB, TB and FB in fruits and vegetables were 14.0, 1.3 and 0.03 μg kg⁻¹, respectively, values far below the current maximum residue levels (MRLs) established by the European Union, i.e. 100-2000 μg kg⁻¹ for CB, 50-5000 μg kg⁻¹ for TB and 50 μg kg⁻¹ for FB. The precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, for inter-day measurements (n = 13) was 3.3% for CB (50 μg kg⁻¹), 3.5% for TB (10 μg kg⁻¹) and 2.8% for FB (0.5 μg kg⁻¹) and recoveries for fruits (oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, grapefruits, apples, pears and bananas) and vegetables (potatoes and lettuces) fortified at the μg kg⁻¹ level were in the interval 93-102%.     

Determination of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity in fruits and cereals

Three methods, FCM (with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent), PBM (Price and Butler) and AAPM (with 4-aminoantipyrine) for assessment of phenolic compounds and three commonly used methods, TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity), DPPH (with diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl radical), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) for evaluation of antioxidant capacity, were modified to a semimicroscale (total volume 1 ml) with minimum consumption (to 100 μl) of a sample and thereby applicable for fast screening. Appropriate standards and extracts of 17 kinds of fruit and six kinds of cereal were assessed for total content of phenolic compounds and total antioxidant capacity by each of these methods. The results of analyses of commonly used standards (gallic, caffeic and ferulic acids, (+)-catechin, Trolox, fenol and FeSO₄) for these methods and identical plant extract showed different reactivity of principal reagent of the methods with individual standards and therefore with phenolic substances of extracts as well. However, the trends of the measured values of extracts could be compared, though their absolute values differ proportionally. At assessments of phenolic compounds it is important to determine content of ascorbic acid at roughly the same time and correct the obtained values according to its contribution to the increase in absorbance calculated on the basis of absorbance equations, especially for samples with a higher content. The same is true for reducing saccharides; they can significantly “elevate” values of contents of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities (by even more than 50%), especially in samples of sweeter fruits. The saccharides should therefore be removed or a correction applied reflecting their concentration.     

Application of ultrasonic technology in postharvested fruits and vegetables storage: A review

It has been an important research topic and a serious applicable issue to extend storage time of fruits and vegetables using advanced scientific and effective technology. Among various approaches, ultrasound has been regarded as one of the most pollution-free and effective technical means to significantly improve the preservation of fruits and vegetables. This paper summarizes the application of ultrasonic technology in fruits and vegetables storage in recent years, including removal of pesticide residues and cleaning, sterilization, enzyme inactivation, effect on physico-chemical indexes. Additionally, we also discussed limitations and negative effects of ultrasonic treatment on fruits and vegetables such as damages to tissues and cells. Furthermore, a proper application of ultrasonic technology has been proven to effectively extend the storage period of postharvest fruits and vegetables and maintain the quality. Moreover, the combination of ultrasound and other conventional preservation technologies can further improve the preservation in a coordinate manner and even have a broader application prospect.     

The high throughput analysis of N-methyl carbamate pesticides in fruits and vegetables by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry using a short column

We developed a new analysis method for the nine N-methyl carbamate pesticides in fruits and vegetables using ESI LC/MS/MS with direct sample injection into a short column. After extraction of the pesticides with ethyl acetate from sample, the extract is evaporated to dryness and redissolved in ultra pure water before injection into LC/MS/MS. The method needs no cleanup steps. The average recoveries from fruits and vegetables fortified at the level of 0.01 μg/g ranged from 56.0 to 119.1% with the coefficients of variation ranging from 0.2 to 7.6% for intra-day (n = 5 × 3 days) and from 0.8 to 18.4% for inter-day (n = 15). At the fortified level of 0.5 μg/g, the recoveries ranged from 67.7 to 119.3% with the coefficients of variation ranging from 0.5 to 7.8% for intra-day (n = 5 × 3 days) and from 0.9 to 14.8% for inter-day (n = 15). The method is considered to be satisfactory for the monitoring of the carbamate pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, suggesting that the present method is applicable to other pesticide residues in foods.     

A simplified method for the determination of fenpropathrin residues in fruits

Summary A simple and efficient method is described for the determination of fenpropathrin in oranges, pears, apples and strawberries. The procedure is based on the extraction of each homogenized fruit sample with hexane:acetone (1∶1, v/v) mixture, followed by a cleanup technique on a column packed with florisil, using a hexane:ethyl ether (7∶3, v/v) mixture, and gas chromatographic analysis with electron capture detection (ECD). The fortification levels (0.5;1.0;2.0 mg kg⁻¹) were selected according to the maximum residue limits (MRLs) established for fenpropathrin by Brazilian legislation. Mean recoveries from five replicates of fortified fruit samples ranged from 83 % to 98%, with coefficients of variation from 1.4 to 13.5 and detection limits varying from 0.1 to 0.2 mg kg⁻¹.     

固相萃取-液相色谱-飞行时间质谱法快速筛查与确证谷物和果蔬中25种杀菌剂残留

利用固相萃取-液相色谱-飞行时间质谱(SPE-LC-Q-TOF/MS)技术建立了谷物、 蔬菜和水果中25种杀菌剂农药残留的快速筛查和确证检测方法.样品经1%(V/V)乙酸-乙腈溶液提取,经Crabon/NH2柱净化,乙腈-甲苯(3∶1, V/V)洗脱,C18色谱柱分离,乙腈和0.1% 甲酸溶液(含5 mmol/L乙酸铵)梯度洗脱,采用LC-Q-TOF/MS检测,外标法定量.建立了25种杀菌剂的一级精确质量数据库和二级谱图库,通过化合物的精确质量数、 保留时间、 同位素峰分布、 同位素比例等信息对检测结果进行自动检索,在无对照标准品的情况下实现了25种农药的定性鉴定.结果表明,25种杀菌剂在0.02~200 μg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数R2≥0.9950, 加标回收率在71.8%~114.0%之间,相对标准偏差(RSD)为0.1%~21.3% (n=3).25种杀菌剂检出限为0.01~5.00 μg/kg,定量限为0.02~20.00 μg/kg.本方法简便、 快速、 可靠,可用于谷物、 蔬菜、 水果中25种杀菌剂的快速筛查.     

Chemometric study and optimization of extraction parameters in single-drop microextraction for the determination of multiclass pesticide residues in grapes and apples by gas chromatography mass spectrometry

A simple and rapid single-drop microextraction method coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (SDME–GC/MS) for the determination of 20 pesticides with different physicochemical properties in grapes and apples was optimized by the use of a multivariate strategy. Emphasis on the optimization study was given to the role of ionic strength, sugar concentration and pH of the donor sample solution prepared from the fruit samples. Since all three variables were found to affect negatively SDME (a lower extraction efficiency was observed as the values of variables were increased for most of the pesticides studied), donor sample solution was optimized using a central composite design to evaluate the optimum pH value and the optimum dilution of the sample extract. With some exceptions (chlorpyrifos ethyl, α-endosulfan, β-endosulfan, pyriproxyfen, λ-cyhalothrin and bifenthrin), the optimum method included the dilution of the analytical sample by 12.5-fold with a buffered acetone/water solution at pH = 4 and exhibited good analytical characteristics for the majority of target analytes (pyrimethanil, pirimicarb, metribuzin, vinclozolin, fosthiazate, procymidone, fludioxonil, kresoxim methyl, endosulfan sulfate, fenhexamid, iprodione, phosalone, indoxacarb and azoxystrobin) by providing high enrichment factors (14–328), low limits of detection (0.0003–0.007 μg/g), and good precision (relative standard deviations below 15%).     

固相萃取-气相色谱-质谱法测定果蔬中36种农药残留

采用气相色谱-质谱法测定果蔬中36种农药残留。果蔬试样经丙酮-水匀质,二氯甲烷液-液萃取,然后过石墨化炭黑固相萃取柱净化,浓缩定容后在DB-5毛细管色谱柱(30 m×0.25 mm,0.25μm)分离,质谱中选择电喷雾离子源-选择离子监测模式。36种农药残留的质量浓度在一定范围内与其峰面积呈线性关系,检出限(3S/N)均不高于15μg·kg-1。加标回收率在75.3%~115%之间,测定值的相对标准偏差(n=6)在0.6%~7.8%之间。     

A Spectrophotometric Determination of Ascorbic Acid

A new, simple and sensitive method for the spectrophotometric indirect determination of ascorbic acid in fruits, beverages, and pharmaceuticals is described. In this method, the ascorbic acid reduces Cu²⁺ to Cu⁺ and reacts with 2,9‐dimethyl‐1,10‐phenanothroline (neucoproine) to form Cu (neucoproine)⁺ complex, and it was extracted with N‐phenylbenzimidoylthiourea (PBITU) in chloroform. The apparent value of molar absorptivity of the complex in terms of ascorbic acid is (3.52) × 10⁴ L mole^?1 cm^?1 at λ_max, 460. The detection limit of ascorbic acid is 40 μg L^?1 and the method obeys Beer's law over the concentration range of 0.1–4.0 μg mL^?1. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of ascorbic acid in various samples. The validity of the present method was checked by the flow injection analysis (FIA) method.