Gas-Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Organophosphorus Insecticide Residues in Fruits and Vegetables

A method intended for regulatory purposes is described for the determination of organophosphorus insecticide residues in fruits and vegetables. Eighteen organophosphorus insecticides, azinphos-ethyl, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dichlorvos, dimethoate, ethion, ethoate-methyl, fenitrothion, fenthion, formothion, malathion, methidathion, mevinphos, parathion, phosalone, phosphamidon, thiometon, and trichlorphon, and 7 metabolites, fenitrooxon, fenthion sulfoxide, fenthion sulfone, malaoxon, desethylphosphamidon, thiometon sulfoxide, and thiometon sulfone, were extracted from different crops with acetone and partitioned into hexane or ethyl acetate, according to their polarities. The hexane extract was cleaned up by eluting from a Florisil column with acetone-hexane (4+96). The ethyl acetate extract needs no cleanup. The concentrated extracts were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography using thermionic detectors. Recoveries conducted at fortification levels ranging from 0.1 to 2 mg/kg were in most cases above 80%. The limit of sensitivity is less than 0.1 mg/kg.