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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #374138
Research Project: Methyl Bromide Replacement: Mitigation of the Invasive Pest Threat from the American Tropics and Subtropics

Location: Subtropical Horticulture Research

Title: Ion chromatography analysis of food-based three-component fruit fly lures

Author
item VAZQUEZ, AIME - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item PIERRE, HERMA - North Carolina State University
item KING, RICHARD - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item MOSSER, LISA - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item Tabanca, Nurhayat
item Kendra, Paul

Submitted to: American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2020
Publication Date: 8/17/2020
Citation: Vázquez, A., H. Pierre, R. A. King, L. K. Mosser, N. Tabanca, and P. E. Kendra. Ion chromatography analysis of food-based three-component fruit fly lures. 260th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (Virtual). 17-20 Aug 2020.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedmann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is an agricultural pest of great economic importance worldwide. It affects citrus, guava, papaya, and coffee, among a long list of host crops. Throughout the years, several lures have been developed to monitor and control this fly. Currently, the most widely used is a three-component food-based dry lure (3C cone; Scentry Biologicals, Inc.) which contains ammonium acetate, trimethylamine hydrochloride and putrescine dihydrochloride (AA, TMA and PUT, respectively). A crucial part of lure effectiveness in the field is having a known initial amount and a controlled release of each component. Therefore, quality control necessitates quantification of all chemical components, which sometimes requires complex analytical methods. This presentation discusses a revision to an existing method used by APHIS-PPQ for the analysis of 3C cones. Under the current method, liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is used to analyze TMA and PUT, and ion chromatography with a conductivity detector (IC) to analyze AA. With the revised method, all three analytes can be quantified using only IC. Results show that the new method is suitable for the full analysis of all components in these lures. The improved method also confers added benefits, including a shorter preparation time, lower volume of organic solvent, simplified analysis and reduced overall costs. Concentration range, as well as linearity, were revised for each analyte in the 3C lure, and the method was validated.