Effect of sonication on eliminating of phorate in apple juice

The degradation of phorate in apple juice by sonication was investigated in the present study. Results showed that sonication was effective in eliminating phorate in apple juice, and the ultrasonic power and sonication time significantly influenced the degradation of phorate (p < 0.05). The degradation of phorate followed the first-order kinetics model well. Phorate-oxon and phorate sulfoxide were identified as the degradation products of phorate by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Moreover, the toxicity of apple juice samples spiked with phorate was significantly reduced by sonication (p < 0.05). The quality indexes of apple juice including pH, titratable acidity (TA), electrical conductivity (EC), total soluble solids (TSS), and the contents of sucrose, glucose and fructose were not affected by sonication, and no visible difference in color was observed between the sonicated samples and the control.

► Sonication could eliminate phorate in apple juice and reduce the toxicity of sample.
► Phorate-oxon and phorate sulfoxide were the degradation products of phorate.
► Sonication did not result in the undesirable effects on the quality of apple juice.