Analysis of Fumigants in Cereals and Dried Fruits: Part I via GC-MS/MS
Tim Steffens, Anne Benkenstein, Daniela Dörk, Hubert Zipper, Ellen Scherbaum and Michelangelo Anastassiades
EU-Reference Laboratory for Pesticides Requiring Single Residue Methods (EURL-SRM) hosted at Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart, Schaflandstraße 3/2, 70736 Fellbach, Germany
In Aspects of food control and animal health 01 (2015) 1-23 (open access)
ISSN 2196-3460
Abstract
A quick multi-method for fumigants (QuMFu) allowing their simultaneous analysis in cereals and dried fruits was developed. The method involves a simple extraction step with n-hexane followed by centrifugation and GC-MS/MS analysis. The following fumigants were investigated in the study:
- 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane,
- 1,3-Dichloropropene,
- Azobenzene,
- Carbon tetrachloride,
- Chloropicrin,
- Ethylene chlorobromide,
- Ethylene dibromide (1,2-dibromoethane),
- Naphthalene,
- p-Nitrochlorobenzene,
- p-Dichlorobenzene,
- 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane,
- Tetrachloroethylene and
- Trichloroethylene.
Chlorobenzene D5 was used as internal standard. Most of the substances showed a linear concentration to signal-intensity relationship both in pure solvent and extracts in the range between 0.01 µg mL-1 and 2 µg mL-1. All substances except trichloroethylene showed matrix-induced signal suppression effects. The method was validated in raisins and wheat via recovery experiments at spiking levels of 0.01 mg kg-1/0.05 mg kg-1 and 0.1 mg kg-1. Average recoveries of the individual compounds (n = 5 at both levels) ranged between 79 % and 106 % (RSD 1.0 % – 10.5 %) in wheat and between 86 % and 109 % (RSD 0.9 % – 9.9 %) in raisins. A small number of dried fruit samples from the market were tested, but none of those contained any detectable residues of the tested fumigants.
Last modified 18-02-2026, 14:33:00
Published 17-02-2026, 16:34:34
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