Pesticide multiresidue analysis in Panax ginseng (C. A. Meyer) by solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography with electron capture and nitrogen-phosphorus detection.

An analytical multi-residue method using gas chromatography coupled with electron capture and a nitrogen-phosphorus detector was investigated for the simultaneous determination of 18 commonly used insecticides and fungicides in Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer). Samples were previously extracted with an acetonitrile and cleaned up by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The calibration curves were linear, with determination coefficients higher than 0.989. Recoveries at concentrations between 0.01 and 14.9 ppm ranged from 72.3 to 117.2%, with precision, which was expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), at values lower than 5%. The proposed method was applied to the determination of pesticide levels from 12 ginseng samples, taken from four different agricultural areas of Jeonnam province, where several insecticides and fungicides were applied. Except in one sample, tolclofos-m was the only pesticide contained at a level lower than the maximum residue limits (MRL) authorized by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) in real ginseng samples grown for 4, 5 and 6 years.