Determination of ethylenethiourea in canned fruits and vegetables

Abstract

The AOAC final action GC method for determining ethylenethiourea (imidazolidine-2-thione) residues, applicable to potatoes, spinach, apple sauce and milk, has been evaluated on a variety of canned fruits and vegetables. A collaborative study on canned blackcurrants and spinach fortified at the 0.6 mg kg^–1 level gave mean recoveries of 86 and 100%, respectively. At the 0.06 mg kg^–1 fortification level, mean recoveries of 88 and 102%, respectively, were obtained on these commodities. Repeatability, reproducibility and standard deviations are given. Recoveries from canned celery fortified at the 0.1 mg kg^–1 level averaged 81% in another collaborative study. Limited experience in a few laboratories suggests that the method is also applicable to canned apples, pears and strawberries. The description of the procedure has been clarified.