CEN/TC 275/WG 4 - Pesticides in foods of plant origin

This draft European Standard specifies a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of the benzimidazole fungicides carbendazim and thiabendazole in fruits, vegetables and processed products.
When benomyl is present, it is completely degraded to carbendazim and is also determined as carbendazim. Thiophanate-methyl is not determined with the method.
The method has been validated for carbendazim and thiabendazole in an interlaboratory test with homogenates of apples, French beans, mushrooms, lemons and fruit based infant food.

This draft European Standard specifies a high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the benzimidazole fungicides carbendazim and thiabendazole in fruits and vegetables.
When benomyl is present, it is completely degraded to carbendazim and is also determined as carbendazim. Thiophanate-methyl is not determined with the method.
The method has been validated for carbendazim and thiabendazole in an interlaboratory test with homogenates of apples and oranges.

This draft European Standard specifies a high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of the benzimidazole fungicides carbendazim and thiabendazole in fruits, vegetables and processed products.
When benomyl is present, it is completely degraded to carbendazim and is also determined as carbendazim. Thiophanate-methyl is partly decomposed and therefore not quantitatively determined.
The method has been validated for carbendazim and thiabendazole in an interlaboratory test with homogenates of apples, French beans, mushrooms, lemons and fruit based infant food.

This European Standard gives guidance on some recommended techniques for the determination of pesticide residues in foods of plant origin and on confirmatory tests.
The identity of any observed pesticide residue is confirmed, particularly in those cases in which it would appear that the maximum residue limit has been exceeded.

This European Standard gives general considerations for the determination of pesticide residues in foods of plant origin.
Each method specified in this European Standard is suitable for identifying and quantifying a definite range of those organohalogen, and/or organophosphorus and/or organonitrogen pesticides which occur as residues in foodstuffs of plant origin.
This European Standard contains the following methods that have been subjected to interlaboratory studies and/or are adopted throughout Europe:
- method L: Extraction with acetone, liquid liquid partition with dichloromethane and clean-up on a silica-gel/charcoal column [1];
- method M: Extraction with acetone and liquid liquid partition with dichloromethane/light petroleum, if necessary clean-up on Florisil® 1) [2], [3], [4];
- method N: Extraction with acetone, liquid liquid partition with dichloromethane or cyclohexane/ethyl acetate and clean-up with gel permeation and silica gel chromatography [5], [6];
- method P: Extraction with ethyl acetate and, if necessary, clean-up with gel permeation chromatography [7].
The applicability of the four methods L to P for residue analysis of organohalogen, organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides, respectively, is given for each method.

This European Standard specifies methods for the extraction and clean-up of food samples of plant origin for quantitative determination of pesticide residues.
Different solvents can be used for this purpose. These pesticide residues are generally associated with other co-extracted compounds which would interfere in the analysis. To purify the crude extracts to be analysed, several techniques can be used.
This standard contains the following extraction and clean-up methods that have been subjected to interlaboratory studies and /or are adopted throughout Europe:
- method L: Extraction with acetone, liquid-liquid partition with dichloromethane and clean-up on a silica gel/charcoal column [1];
- method M: Extraction with acetone and liquid-liquid partition with dichloromethane/light petroleum, if necessary clean-up on Florisil® 1) [2], [3], [4];
- method N: Extraction with acetone, liquid-liquid partition with dichloromethane or cyclohexane/ethyl acetate and clean-up with gel permeation and silica gel chromatography [5], [6];
- method P: Extraction with ethyl acetate, and if necessary, clean-up by gel permeation chromatography [7].
This European Standard specifies the details of methods L to P for the extraction and the clean-up of food samples of plant origin. Several solvents at different volumes are used for extraction. Techniques of clean-up are listed such as liquid-liquid partition, liquid chromatography on various adsorbents and gel permeation chromatography.
A table providing the couples (matrix/pesticide) which have been submitted to collaborative studies and a list of indicative applicability of the method to different pesticides are given for each method, wherever possible.

This European Standard specifies methods for the extraction and clean-up of non-fatty food samples for quantitative determination of pesticide residues.   Different solvents can be used for this purpose. These pesticide residues are generally associated with other co-extracted compounds which would interfere in the analysis. To purify the crude extracts to be analysed, several techniques can be used.

This European Standard gives guidance on some recommended techniques for the determination of pesticide residues in non-fatty foods and on confirmatory tests. The identity of any observed pesticide residue is confirmed, particularly in those cases in which it would appear that the maximum residue limit has been exceeded.

This European Standard gives general considerations for the determination of pesticide residues in non-fatty foods.  Each method described in this European Standard is suitable for identifying and quantifying a definite range of those organohalogen, and/or organophosphorus and/or organonitrogen pesticides which occur as residues in foodstuffs of plant origin.