Green pre-concentration techniques during pesticide analysis in food samples

• Published in: Journal of environmental science and health. Part B, Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes Vol. 54; no. 9; pp. 770 - 780
• Main Authors: Musarurwa, Herbert, Chimuka, Luke, Tavengwa, Nikita Tawanda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 02.09.2019; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Environmental impact; Food; Food Analysis - instrumentation; Food Analysis - methods; Food Contamination - analysis; food matrix; food samples; Green chemistry; Green Chemistry Technology - instrumentation; Green Chemistry Technology - methods; Ionic liquids; Liquid phases; Liquid-liquid extraction; liquid-phase microextraction; Miniaturization; Organic solvents; Pesticides; Pesticides - analysis; Pesticides - isolation & purification; pre-concentration; Sample preparation; Selectivity; solid phase microextraction; Solid phases; Solvents; Supercritical fluids; miniaturization; pre-concentration; Green chemistry; pesticides; food samples
• ISSN: 0360-1234; 1532-4109; 1532-4109
• DOI: 10.1080/03601234.2019.1633213

The ever-increasing demand for determining pesticides at low concentration levels in different food matrices requires a preliminary step of pre-concentration which is considered a crucial stage. Recently, the parameter of "greenness" during sample pre-concentration of pesticides in food matrices is as important as selectivity in order to avoid using harmful organic solvents during sample preparation. Developing new green pre-concentration techniques is one of the key subjects. Thus, to reduce the impact on the environment during trace analysis of pesticides in food matrices, new developments in pre-concentration have gone in three separate directions: the search for more environmentally friendly solvents, miniaturization and development of solvent-free pre-concentration techniques. Eco-friendly solvents such as supercritical fluids, ionic liquids and natural deep eutectic solvents have been developed for use as extraction solvents during pre-concentration of pesticides in food matrices. Also, miniaturized pre-concentration techniques such as QuEChERS, dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction and hollow-fiber liquid-phase micro-extraction have been used during trace analysis of pesticides in food samples as well as solvent-free techniques such as solid-phase micro-extraction and stir bar sorptive extraction. All these developments which are aimed at ensuring that pesticide pre-concentration in different food matrices is green are critically reviewed in this paper.