Combination of QuEChERS Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction based on Magnetic Ionic Liquids for extraction of Carbamate Pesticides from Apple Samples prior to their analysis by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Today, the use of pesticides has become an essential part of agricultural activities. Due to their relatively short lifespan, strong effect, and extensive variety of biological activities, carbamates are one of those that are frequently utilized as insecticides. The need to monitor the presence of pesticides in food products is a major concern because of their major risk on consumers' health.

In the current research, Aldicarb, Carbaryl, and Primicarb insecticides were extracted from apple samples using a combination of QuEChERS technique with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, and their determination was carried out using HPLC-DAD. For this purpose, the effect of the effective factors in the two stages of the proposed extraction process was investigated and optimized. Also, merit figures including linear range, limits of detection and quantification, repeatability, enrichment factor, and extraction recovery were calculated in order to validate the developed method.

Concerned with the broad linear range (10.7-2000 ng/g) and the repeatability based on RSD% of 2.6 to 4.8, the proposed method proved highly capable of extracting the desired pesticide residues from apple samples. Under optimal conditions, the suggested approach had an extraction efficiency of 67–75%, an enrichment factor of greater than 335, and limits of detection and quantification of less than 4.2 and 14 ng/ml, respectively, which were less than the MRLs set for these pesticides in fruits and vegetables. The mentioned method was successfully performed on real apple samples and the results revealed that the samples did not contain any of the expected carbamates.

In general, the developed method has the necessary ability to detect carbamate insecticides in apple samples. This method offers several advantages of being simple and reliable, employing green solvents, and short analysis time.