Determination of Carbendazim and Thiabendazole in Tomatoes by Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled with High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Fluorescence Detection

A novel method for the determination of carbendazim (MBC) and thiabendazole (TBZ) in tomatoes by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence detection was developed. The experimental conditions of SPME including extraction fiber, extraction time, extraction temperature, desorption time, desorption solvent, desorption mode, pH value, organic solvent and ionic strength, and HPLC conditions were optimized. The SPME for MBC and TBZ was performed on a 65 mu m polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fibre for 50 min at room temperature with the solution being stirred at 1 100 r/min. The florescence detection was made at 315 nm with excitation wavelength at 280 nm. The method is linear for MBC and TBZ over the range assayed from 0. 01 to 1. 0 mg/kg tomatoes with the detection limits of 0. 003 mg/kg and 0. 001 mg/kg and the correlation coefficients of 0. 995 8 and 0. 996 7, respectively. The average recoveries for MBC and TBZ were 83. 5% and 85. 6% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 6. 5% and 3. 8%, respectively. The method is fast, simple, sensitive, solvent -free and suitable for the determination of MBC and TBZ in tomatoes.