Group-selective enrichment and determination of pyrethroid insecticides in aquaculture seawater via molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography-electron capture detection

Two types of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the simultaneous determination of six pyrethroid insecticides have been developed using deltamethrin (D-MIPs) and cypermethrin (C-MIPs) as template molecules. A comparison of the performance of D-MIPs, C-MIPs, and the corresponding non-imprinted polymers (NIPs) were conducted. Stronger group-selective interactions between the C-MIPs and the six pyrethroid insecticides were achieved. The MISPE method based on the C-MIPs displayed higher extraction recoveries (86.4–96.0%) with RSD values ranging from 2.4 to 7.8% for the six pyrethroid insecticides in aquaculture seawater. After the C-MIP cartridge procedure, the limits of detection and quantification for fenvalerate, deltamethrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, and bifenthrin were in the 16.6–37.0 and 55.3–109.1 ng L−1 ranges, respectively, and 0.68 and 2.26 μg L−1 for phenothrin, respectively. The proposed MISPE method coupled with gas chromatography-electron capture detection was successfully used for the determination of the six pyrethroid insecticides in aquaculture seawater.

► Two types of group-selective MIPs for pyrethroid insecticides were developed.
► The performance of MIPs were characterised by binding assays, BET and MISPE analyses.
► The MISPE method exhibited group-selective ability for pyrethroid insecticides.
► The accuracy and sensitivity of MISPE is higher than those of the Florisil-SPE.
► The MISPE was successfully used for detection of pyrethroid pesticides in seawater.