Determination of pesticides in coconut (Cocos nucifera Linn.) water and pulp using modified QuEChERS and LC-MS/MS.

The use of pesticides is directly linked to improvements in productivity and to the preservation of coconut palms. However pesticide analysis is necessary to determine whether pesticide residues in the food products containing coconut are within the maximum residue limits (MRLs), ensuring the quality of these products. This work aimed to develop a method for multiresidue determination of ten pesticides in coconut water and pulp using QuEChERS and LC-MS/MS. The method was effective in terms of selectivity, linearity, matrix effect, accuracy and precision, providing LOD of 3µgkg(-1), LOQ of 10µgkg(-1) and recoveries between 70 and 120% with RSD lower than 20%. The developed method was applied to 36 samples in which residues of carbendazim, carbofuran, cyproconazole and thiabendazole were found below the LOQ in coconut water and pulp.

MSPD sample preparation approach for reversed-phase liquid chromatographic analysis of pesticide residues in stem of coconut palm.

A method was developed using matrix solid-phase dispersion, together with liquid chromatography with ultraviolet diode array detector for determination of carbofuran, difenoconazole, ß-cyfluthrin, spirodiclofen and thiophanate-methyl in stem of coconut palm. The best results were obtained using 2.0 g of stem, 1.6 g of Florisil as sorbent and cyclohexane:acetone mixture (4:1). The method was validated using stem samples spiked with pesticides at four concentration levels (0.05-2.0 µg/g). Average recoveries ranged from 70 % to 114.3 %, with relative standard deviations between 1.2 % and 19.2 %. Detection and quantification limits were in the ranges 0.02-0.03 and 0.05-0.1 µg/g, respectively.