Objective
Determination of pesticide residues in food of plant origin is difficult, complex and time consuming. Several analytical methods, both multi-residue methods and methods for single compounds, exist covering a large number of pesticides allowed in EC countries. But, few universal analytical methods are described for dry and dried foodstuffs e.g. cereals, cereal products, and tea. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is an alternative to solvent extraction with considerable advantages.
The overall objective of this project is to develop and evaluate multi-residue methods for pesticide residues in dry and dried foodstuffs. The multi-residue methods will be based on organic solvent and supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatographic determination using different detectors including ion trap mass spectrometry. The multi-residue methods will be evaluated for as many as possible relevant GC amenable pesticides used in production of dry and dried foodstuffs. Main efforts will be on developing multi-residue methods based on SFE as the extraction technique.
There has been a slow start of the project and we are a few months after schedule. The pesticides, commodities and multi-residue methods is divided amongst the partners, and the control check study of fifteen pesticides has been completed. In this study, two test solutions were prepared, one suitable for analysis by GC-NPD/FPD and one for analysis by GC-ECD analysis. Before shipment, a homogeneity study and a stability study of the solutions were performed. Preparation of a report of the results of the control check study is in progress. The validation of solvent extraction multi-residue methods has quite recently been started.
First, the pesticide/commodity combinations and the multi-residue method based on organic solvents to be studied by each partner is determined. There will be about 60 pesticides and 12 commodities included in the project. Then a control check study of the GC end determination step will be performed, followed by a validation of solvent extraction multi-residue methods. The most time consuming phase in the project, consists of a development of SFE methods. These methods will then be tested on a few samples with incurred pesticide residues. After that, additional method development work will be performed. Finally, an intercomparison study will be organised with up to twelve participants.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
751 26 Uppsala
Sweden