Determination of methyl 2-benzimidazolecarbamate in fruit juices by immunoassay

A modified enzyme immunoassay method has been developed to determine methyl 2-benzimidazolecarbamate (MBC), the degradation product of benomyl, in fruit juices and concentrates. The analysis is complete within 30 min and up to eight samples can be run simultaneously. Samples are quantified using a hand-held battery-powered photometer which makes possible analysis in processing and quality-control laboratories. MBC concentration is linear from 1 to 26 ng/g (100 to 2600 pg/tube). For juices greater than 26 ng/g, dilutions must be made. The lower limit of detection was 10 ng/g ppb for juices and 30 ng/g for concentrates. Percent coefficients of variation (%CV) ranged from 16·6 to 4·5 for standards and 25·0 to 12·0 for samples. Agreement between this method and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was good.