Determination of thiophanate methyl and carbendazim residues in vegetable samples using microwave-assisted extraction

Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was carried out for the determination of the fungicides thiophanate methyl [1.2-α-(3-methoxycarbonyl-2-thioureido)benzene] and carbendazim (methyl benzimidazol-2-ylcarbamate) in vegetable samples. Two vegetable samples, cabbage and tomatoes, were fortified with the two pesticides and subjected to MAE followed by cleanup to remove co-extractives prior to analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using the selected microwave exposure time and power setting, the recoveries of carbendazim ranged from 69 to 75%. But thiophanate methyl could not be recovered as the parent compound. It was converted and recovered as carbendazim. The conversion was quantitative as confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS).