Ternary solvent based homogeneous liquid–liquid microextraction for the preconcentration of organochlorine pesticides from water and apple juice samples

Abstract

In the present study, the optimal experimental conditions were determined by optimizing the effect of extraction solvent types and volume, salt types and concentration, centrifugation speed and time using one variable at a time. Under optimal experimental conditions, calibration curves were constructed separately using water and apple juice samples as representative matrices, and good linearities were achieved over a wide concentration range of 0.2–1600 ng L⁻¹ with a coefficient of determination (r²) ≥ 0.998. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ), determined to be 3 and 10 times the signal-to-noise ratios (S/N), were between 0.07–3.9 and 0.2–12.0 ng L⁻¹ for water samples and 2.6–10.0 and 8.0–30.0 ng L⁻¹ for the apple juice sample respectively. The precisions study showed %RSD values of ≤6% for both matrices, indicating satisfactory precisions. The enrichment factors and recoveries of the proposed method ranged from 41.4–74.5 and 86–109% respectively. The proposed method could be used as a simple and environmentally friendly alternative for the analysis of OCPs from environmental and food matrices. This method potentially offers a more sustainable and effective approach to monitoring OCPs in environmental and food products. Its use in the analysis of apple juice samples is particularly novel and can provide valuable insights into pesticide contamination in fruit juices.