Detection and quantification of Captan residue on small orchard and farm stand apples in the Finger Lakes region of New York using solid phase microextraction

Abstract

The goal of this research was to identify and quantify captan residues on apple samples purchased from a variety of orchards from the Finger Lakes region of New York. This was determined by extracting captan from apple peels via solid phase microextraction (SPME), identification via gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and quantification via a captan standard curve. It was found that 9 out of 15 samples contained captan residues or its breakdown component, THPI (tetrahydrophthalimide.) The amount ranged from 0.09886 ppb to 3.424 ppb. Overall, a useful method of detecting and quantifying captan on apple samples was developed. Levels of captan detected on the apples were found to be in very small amounts relative to the maximum allowed.