Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvent in Vortex-Assisted Liquid-Liquid Microextraction for Pesticide Analysis by Gas...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Pesticide residues in fruit juices pose risks to human health.
• Accurate and efficient screening methods are crucial for food safety.
• Existing methods may lack environmental sustainability or practicality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a green and practical method for pesticide residue screening in fruit juice.
• To utilize a deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based microextraction technique coupled with GC-FID.
• To ensure accurate quantification in complex fruit juice matrices.

Main Methods:

• A DES synthesized from thymol and octanoic acid was used in vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (VA-DLLME).
• Ethanol was employed as a sustainable dispersive solvent.
• Matrix-matched calibration (MMC) was used for quantification in complex matrices, coupled with GC-FID analysis.

Main Results:

• The method efficiently extracted and preconcentrated six organophosphate and two pyrethroid pesticides.
• Complete chromatographic separation was achieved within 11 minutes.
• Excellent analytical performance was observed with low limits of detection (0.6 ng/L to 0.06 mg/L), high enrichment factors (56-168), and good precision (RSD < 4.3% for repeatability, < 6.7% for reproducibility).

Conclusions:

• The developed DES-based VA-DLLME coupled with GC-FID is a simple, affordable, and reliable method for routine pesticide residue screening in fruit juices.
• The use of MMC significantly improved analytical accuracy and reliability.
• While suitable for rapid screening, confirmatory MS analysis is recommended for complex matrices.