Applicability of a multiresidue method and high performance liquid chromatography for determining quinomethionate in apples and oranges.

The AOAC multiresidue method for nonpolar pesticide residues in nonfatty foods has been coupled with a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC)-fluorometric system for determining quinomethionate residues on apples and oranges. Quinomethionate is extracted with acetonitrile, and coextractives are removed with liquid-liquid partitioning and Florisil adsorbent using the AOAC multipesticide residue method for nonfatty foods. The quinomethionate fraction is then chromatographed on an HPLC octyl-bonded column and detected in-line with a fluorescence detector using 362 nm excitation and 395 nm emission. Recovery studies were conducted with apples fortified with quinomethionate at 0.05 ppm and oranges at 0.05 and 0.5 ppm. The recoveries averaged 100% (range 92-108) at the 0.05 ppm fortification level and 102% (range 93-110) at the 0.5 ppm level.