Method Validation, Dissipation Kinetics and Processing Factor for Acetamiprid Residues in Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum L. Maton)

The dissipation behaviour of a neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid in fresh and cured cardamom capsules following application at 10 and 20 g a. i. ha⁻¹ in the cardamom plantation of Indian Cardamom Hills (ICH), Idukki, Kerala, India, is reported. A UPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of residue in cardamom was developed and validated. The recovery experiments at fortification levels of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 μg g⁻¹ revealed average recoveries of 94.9 to 98.1 and 88.4 to 90.10% for fresh and cured cardamom, respectively. The LOD and LOQ in both fresh and cured cardamom were found to be 0.005 and 0.01 μg g⁻¹, respectively. At lower dose, the initial deposits on fresh and cured cardamom were 0.70 ± 0.05 and 1.73± 0.08 μg g⁻¹ respectively. At double the dose of application, the corresponding deposits were 1.62 ± 0.09 and 3.52± 0.18 μg g⁻¹ respectively. The residues dissipated below quantitation level of 0.01 μg g⁻¹ after 14 and 21 days (lower dose) and 21 and 28 days (higher dose), respectively. The half life of acetamiprid on fresh and cured cardamom was 3.79 and 3.85 days at single dose and 3.39 and 3.59 days at double the dose, respectively. The waiting periods on fresh and dry cardamom at lower and higher doses were 11.65 and 17.35 days, and 14.86 and 20.40 days, respectively. The mean processing factor evaluated at lower dose was 2.77.