Pyrethroid residue determination in organic and conventional vegetables using liquid-solid extraction coupled with...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Food Safety

Background:

• Pyrethroid pesticides are widely used in agriculture.
• Accurate detection of pesticide residues in food is crucial for consumer safety.
• Existing methods may lack efficiency or environmental friendliness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive, precise, and eco-friendly method for pyrethroid residue detection in vegetables.
• To evaluate the efficiency and reusability of the developed extraction technique.
• To apply the method for analyzing pyrethroid residues in local vegetable samples.

Main Methods:

• Development of a polystyrene-coated magnetic nanoparticle-based extraction technique.
• Coupling the extraction method with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for analysis.
• Validation of the method for sensitivity, precision, and recovery rates.

Main Results:

• High recoveries (91.6%-116.2%) for five common pyrethroids.
• Excellent sensitivity with limits of detection (0.0200-0.0392 ng/g) and quantification (0.072-0.128 ng/g).
• Low intra-day (<6.8%) and inter-day (<10.7%) relative standard deviations, demonstrating method precision.
• Successful application to real vegetable samples, detecting pyrethroids in conventional and one organic sample.
• Demonstrated reusability of the magnetic nanoparticles, highlighting cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits.

Conclusions:

• The developed method is efficient, fast, economical, and environmentally friendly for pyrethroid residue analysis.
• The method provides satisfactory sensitivity and precision for trace-level detection.
• Pyrethroid residues were found in analyzed vegetable samples, underscoring the need for monitoring.