High performance liquid chromatography method for residues analysis of thidiazuron in apple and soil

A rapid, sensitive and reliable analytical method for thidiazuron residues in apple and soil was established. The residual levels of the pesticide in apple and soil were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detector. Samples of apple and soil were extracted with acetonitrile-water solutions, and then cleaned up by Florisil or C(18) cartridges. The results showed good linearity (r(2)=1.000) over the concentration range of 0.01-5.0 mg/L. Limits of quantification (LOQ) of the method were 0.01 mg/kg for both soil and apple. Recovery from the apple and soil samples were 83.36%-84.08% and 85.27%-89.83%, respectively, and the corresponding relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the recovery data were 0.155%-0.524% and 0.475%-4.79% for the three fortified levels (0.01, 0.1, 0.5 mg/kg). The analyte in the samples were further confirmed by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). It was demonstrated that the proposed method was simple and efficient, and particularly suitable for detecting thidiazuron residues in apple and soil.