Determination of abamectin residues in fruits and vegetables by high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid and sensitive HPLC method has been developed and validated for the determination of abamectin residues (avermectin B1a and B1b, as well as the metabolite 8,9-Z-avermectin B1) in apples, pears and tomatoes. Residues are extracted with acetonitrile. The diluted extract is cleaned up on a C18 solid-phase extraction cartridge. Abamectin residues are derivatised with trifluoroacetic acid and 1-methylimidazole and determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (excitation: 365 nm and emission: 470 nm). High and consistent recoveries, ranging from 88 to 106%, were obtained, at spiking levels of 10, 20 and 50 micrograms/kg, when analysing apples, pears and tomatoes.