Comparison of Cleanup Techniques for Simple Method for Analysis of Selected Organophosphorus Pesticide Residues in Molluscs

Abstract

A simple method for determination of 5 organophosphorus pesticides (dimethoate, chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos, methidathion, and phosmet) in molluscs (Mytilus galloprovincialis and Venus gallina) was developed, with special attention to cleanup. Organophosphorus pesticides were extracted with acetonitrile-acetone (90 + 10, v/v) in a high-speed blender. Two cleanup procedures were used to defat extracts prior to injection into a gas chromatograph: liquid-liquid partition with acetonitrile-hexane and adsorption column chromatography with silica gel. The latter was more efficient for elimination of fat and fractionation of pesticides with different polarities. Limits of detection of the overall procedure including extraction and cleanup ranged from 0.2 to 1 ng/g. Quantitative recoveries for pesticide concentrations ranging from 1 to 10 000 ng/g were obtained.