Analytical performance for determination of synthetic pyrethroids residue in Indonesian fermented cocoa using GC-ECD

Pyrethroid insecticides are causing problems for the environment because they are toxic at such small concentrations and very difficult to determine. Characteristics of pyrethroids insecticides include high efficiency, wide spectrum, low biodegradability, and low mammalian and avian toxicity. They also demonstrate strong selectivity for insects and invertebrates. This study presents the results of the analysis conducted on four synthetic pyrethroids in fermented cocoa samples from Indonesia. The pesticides were extracted using acetonitrile and the analysis was carried out by Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD). Column programming temperature was conducted to get a complete separation. The total operation took less than 10 minutes to separate four standards of synthetic pyrethroids. The synthetic pyrethroids were identified by their retention times and quantified using an external calibration method. The linearity test was carried out for four standard synthetic pyrethroids, namely: lambda-cyhalothrin, permethrin, cypermethrin, and fenvalerate, from 1 μg/kg to 10 μg/kg. The coefficient of correlation (r) was found to be 0.9999; 0.9998; 0.9944; and 0.9999 for lambda-cyhalothrin, permethrin, cypermethrin, and fenvalerate, respectively. The detection limit for synthetic pyrethroids residue was found to be below the EU and Japan regulations, and the method can be applied for the determination of synthetic pyrethroids residues in fermented cocoa.