EXTRACTION OF CARBARYL FROM STORED RICE, MAIZE, PEAS AND SUNFLOWER SEEDS PRIOR TO CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

Carbaryl was extracted from aged samples of rice, maize, peas and sunflower seeds using hexane, acetone and methanol. The quantities of insecticide extracted from the grain by acetone and methanol were much higher than that extracted by hexane for all four products. Methanol extracted higher levels of carbaryl than acetone from maize and peas but for rice and sunflower seeds the results were similar for the two solvents. Extraction by simply standing the whole grain in solvent for 48 h generally resulted in similar extracted levels of carbaryl to those obtained using more exhaustive techniques, such as grinding the grain or Soxhlet extraction. However, grinding or Soxhlet extraction removed the pesticide from the grain more rapidly.