Trace Detection of Carbendazim on Strawberries

Carbendazim (MBC) is a common fungicide approved for regulated use in agriculture globally, outside of the EU. Most MBC is found on fruits as surface contamination, the result of sprays applied prior to harvest. The US EPA has determined that a concentrations below 80 μg/mL in orange juice are not a health risk, while the EU restricts MBC levels to 10 ng/g (from imported produce) in foods intended for baby food production. Outside of this wide range of acceptance, it is agreed that MBC interrupts hormone production and can damage the testes in males. In the US, strawberries are the most common whole fruit to be contaminated with MBC, as determined by the USDA with GC/MS and LC/MS.

This Application Note describes a very simple test for surface MBC and provides library spectra demonstrating the sensitive detection of MBC with Misa (Metrohm Instant SERS Analyzer).

To establish a reference spectrum for MBC, a pure standard in methanol is analyzed using gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). The unique SERS spectrum presented in Figure 1 can be used to create a library entry for MBC.

A baseline-corrected spectrum acquired from whole strawberries sprayed with a 100 mg/L solution of MBC, then rinsed with ethanol agrees with the obtained MBC standard reference spectrum (Figure 2).

Following adept detection of MBC on whole fruits, it is clear that Misa is an excellent solution for analysis of surface contamination of produce in any setting: at the farm, at the market, or at the processing plant. Want to confirm «organic» status? Pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides are all possible targets for Misa’s powerful on-site analysis.