Vortex-assisted ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for the determination of sulfonylurea herbicides in wine samples by capillary high-performance liquid chromatography

• Four SUHs are analysed in red and white wines by capillary liquid chromatography.
• Vortex-assisted ionic liquid DLLME (VA-IL-DLLME) is employed as sample treatment.
• An ionic liquid, considered as green solvent, is used for the selective extraction.
• VA-IL-DLLME with capillary HPLC-DAD is an environmentally friendly alternative.
• LODs are low enough for detection of the SUHs below the maximum EU allowance.

A new sample treatment, namely vortex-assisted ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (VA-IL-DLLME), followed by capillary liquid chromatography has been developed for the determination of four sulfonylurea herbicides (SUHs): flazasulfuron (FS), prosulfuron (PS), primisulfuron-methyl (PSM) and triflusulfuron-methyl (TSM) in wine samples. The ionic liquid (IL) 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C6MIM][PF6]) was used as extraction solvent and was dispersed using methanol into the sample solution, assisted by a vortex mixer. Various parameters influencing the extraction efficiency, such as type and amount of IL, type and volume of disperser solvent, sample pH, salting-out effect, vortex and centrifugation time were studied. Under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection and quantification of the proposed method were in the ranges of 3.2–6.6 and 10.8–22.0 μg kg−1, respectively; lower than the maximum residue limits set by the EU for these matrices. The proposed method was successfully applied to different wine samples and satisfactory recoveries were obtained.