Ultrasound-assisted surfactant-enhanced emulsification microextraction with solidification of floating organic droplet followed by high performance liquid chromatography for the determination of strobilurin fungicides in fruit juice samples

A novel method, ultrasound-assisted surfactant-enhanced emulsification microextraction with solidification of floating organic droplet (UASEME-SFOD), has been developed for the extraction of four strobilurin fungicides (kresoxim-methyl, picoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin) in fruit juices. In the UASEME-SFOD technique, Tween 80 was used as emulsifier, and 1-undecanol was used as extraction solvent without using any organic dispersive solvent. Several parameters that affect the extraction efficiency, such as the kind and volume of extraction solvent, the type and concentration of the surfactant, extraction time, extraction temperature and salt addition were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum extraction condition, the method yields a linear calibration curve in the concentration range from 5 to 10,000 ng mL−1 for the targeted analytes with the correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9991 to 0.9998. The enrichment factors were in the range between 95 and 135, and the limits of detection of the method were 2–4 ng mL−1. The fruit juice samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method, and the relative recoveries at fortified levels of 50 and 100 ng mL−1 were in the range of 82.6–97.5%.

► UASEME-SFOD with HPLC was developed for the determination of strobilurin fungicides.
► The enrichment factors of this method are from 95 to 135.
► The extraction recoveries are in the range of 82.6–97.5%.
► The limits of detection are 2–4 ng mL−1.