The principle of the method specified is extraction of patulin in a mixture of ethyl acetate and chloroform (3:2 by volume), filtration of the extract on a silica-gel column and qualitative and quantitative determination by means of two-directional thin-layer chromatography. The spots are developed using a 3-methyl-2-benzothiazoline hydrazone (MBTH) hydrochloride solution. The limit of detection is 25 µg/l, based on 50 ml of ready-to-drink apple juice. The more precise method of analysis is HPLC.