Vortex-Assisted Ionic Liquid Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for the Determination of Triazole Fungicides in Fruit Juices

Abstract

A rapid, efficient, and environmentally friendly method using vortex-assisted ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (VA-IL-DLLME) prior to high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) has been developed for the determination of six triazole fungicides (triazolone, triadimenol, epoxiconazole, flusilazole, tebuconazole, and diniconazole) in various fruit juices. 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C6MIM][PF6]) and acetonitrile were used as extraction and dispersive solvents, respectively. A single factor experiment was selected to obtain the significant variables from the several related parameters that could affect the extraction efficiencies, such as the volume of IL and acetonitrile, extraction time, centrifugation time, and salt addition. Under the optimum conditions, an excellent linearity with correlation coefficients higher than 0.997 was obtained. Enrichment factors and average recoveries in three concentration levels ranged from 51 to 72, and 71.0 to 104.5 %, respectively, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) from 1.4 to 11.8 %. The limits of detection (LODs) (S/N = 3) for the six triazole fungicides were between 0.4 and 6.7 μg L−1. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of trace amounts of triazole fungicides in various fruit juices including peach, apple, and orange juices.