scope:

This European Standard gives general considerations for the determination of pesticide residues in foods of plant origin. Each method specified in this European Standard is suitable for identifying and quantifying a definite range of those organohalogen, and/or organophosphorus and/or organonitrogen pesticides which occur as residues in foodstuffs of plant origin. This European Standard contains the following methods that have been subjected to interlaboratory studies and/or are adopted throughout Europe: method L: Extraction with acetone, liquid-liquid partition with dichloromethane and clean-up on a silicagel/ charcoal column [1]; method M: Extraction with acetone and liquid-liquid partition with dichloromethane/light petroleum, if necessary clean-up on Florisil [2], [3], [4]; method N: Extraction with acetone, liquid-liquid partition with dichloromethane or cyclohexane/ethyl acetate and clean-up with gel permeation and silica gel chromatography [5], [6]; method P: Extraction with ethyl acetate and, if necessary, clean-up with gel permeation chromatography [7]. The applicability of the four methods L to P for residue analysis of organohalogen, organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides, respectively, is given for each method.