One-year routine application of a new method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to the analysis of 16 multiclass pesticides in vegetable … (original) (raw)
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Analyst, 2002
A multiresidue method is described for determining 55 organophosphorus and organochlorinated compounds and pyrethroids commonly used in crop protection. Pesticide residues are extracted from samples with a mixture of ethyl acetate and sodium sulfate, obtaining a final preconcentration of 1 mg sample (ml extract) 21 . No additional clean-up steps are necessary. Analysis is performed by gas chromatography by using a combination of positive chemical ionisation (PCI) and electron impact (EI) ionisation modes and tandem mass spectrometry (GC-PCI/EI-MS-MS). Good sensitivity and selectivity of the method are obtained with limits of detection (LODs) ranging from 0.07 to 4.21 mg kg 21 in all the cases, except for methamidophos, permethrin, cypermethrin and difenconazol. Average recoveries between 52 and 114% are obtained and good linearity is observed in the studied ranges (r !0.994). The RSD values are @29% in all the cases. The method has been applied to the analysis of 178 vegetable samples, as a part of the monitoring programme of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables of Almería (COEXPHAL) and quality control systems applied during the assays have demonstrated a good performance and stability with time.
Food Control, 2019
Human exposure to pesticides commands the implementation of food safety control, but few studies have provided a comparative assessment of conventional and organic products. This study set out to examine 22 pesticides in four distinct commodities (lettuce, apples, grapes, and tomatoes) from conventional and organic agriculture available to consumers. A multiresidue procedure based on QuEChERS extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was first validated for its robustness. Suitable determination coefficients (R 2 >0.99) and recoveries generally between 70 and 110% were obtained. Intraday and interday variations were <20% and low matrix effects were noted with sample-to-sample variation. Method limits of detection (LOD) in the overall range of 0.05-2 µg kg-1 were obtained. The validated method was applied to 133 fruit and vegetable samples purchased in Canada, including conventional and organic culture samples. Overall, 47% of the 133 samples had levels above the LOD for at least one pesticide. Neonicotinoid insecticides were detected in all four product types. Imidacloprid (0.08-29 µg kg-1), acetamiprid (0.11-108 µg kg-1), and clothianidin (0.13-141 µg kg-1) were the most recurrent. Atrazine was reported in approximately a third of the lettuce samples (0.25-7.5 µg kg-1). For varieties with samples available from both organic and conventional agriculture, the proportion of insecticide levels >LOD was significantly higher (p<0.05) for samples from conventional agriculture (9.7%) than from organic agriculture (2.0%). Measured levels were compliant to Canadian Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), but a thorough human health risk assessment has yet to be conducted for many of these pesticides.
Analytica Chimica Acta, 2004
A multiresidue method is described for the determination of 74 pesticides commonly used in crop protection including mainly carbamate, conazole, benzimidazole and pyrimidine fungicides and insecticides. Pesticides residues are extracted from the samples with ethyl acetate. No additional clean-up steps are necessary. Analysis is performed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. The method has been validated for various fruits and vegetables matrices. Good sensitivity and selectivity of the method are obtained with limits of quantification of 0.01 mg/kg in almost all cases. Recoveries, RSD and accuracy values of the method fulfilled the criteria of validation commonly admitted. The method was applied very satisfactorily to routine analysis as a complement to traditional GC method. More than 2500 fruits and vegetables samples have been controlled, as a part of the pesticide monitoring program of the "Service de Protection de la Consommation" in Geneva. Quality control systems applied during the assays have demonstrated very good performances and stability with time.
Journal of Chromatography A, 2006
A multiresidue method is developed for the screening, quantification and confirmation of 43 pesticides, belonging to different chemical families of insecticides, acaricides, fungicides, herbicides and plant growth regulators, and 9 pesticide metabolites in four fruit and vegetable matrices. Pesticide residues are extracted from the samples with MeOH:H 2 O (80:20, v/v) 0.1% HCOOH, and then a cleanup step using OASIS HLB SPE cartridges is applied. The SPE eluate is concentrated and the final volume adjusted to 1 mL with MeOH:H 2 O (10:90, v/v) before injection into LC-MS/MS. Analyses are performed using electrospray ionization (ESI) and triple quadrupole (QqQ) analyzer. The method has been validated based on the SANCO European Guidelines for representative samples that were chosen to study the influence of different matrices: high water content (tomato), high acidic content (lemon), high sugar content (raisin) and high lipidic content (avocado). Special attention has been given to minimize the degradation of some pesticides into their metabolites and the losses observed in the evaporation step. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries were, with a few exceptions, in the range 70-110% with satisfactory precision (CV ≤ 15%). The quantification of analytes was carried out using the most sensitive transition for every compound and by "matrix-matched" standards calibration. The method can be used for the accurate determination of 52 pesticides and metabolites in one single determination step at the 0.01 mg/kg level. Confirmation of residues detected in samples is performed by an independent injection into the LC-MS/MS system by acquiring additional MS/MS transitions to that used for quantification. The acquisition of the highest number of available transitions is suggested for unequivocal confirmation of the analyte.
Journal of AOAC …, 2001
Pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables were determined by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS). Electron impact (EI)/MS/MS and chemical ionization (CI)/MS/MS were developed for 80 compounds, including organochlorine, organophosphorus, organonitrogen, and pyrethroids, providing unambiguous spectral confirmation for these complex matrixes. Residues were extracted from samples with acetone followed by a mixture of dichloromethane-petroleum ether. Two injections per sample were required for analysis of the entire pesticide list by EI/MS/MS and CI/MS/MS. Initial steps involving cleanup and concentration of extracts were eliminated. The excellent selectivity and good linearity allowed quantification and identification of low levels of pesticides in the most difficult matrixes. The method has been used for routine analysis of many vegetables.
Multiresidue analysis of pesticides in fruits and vegetables by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B, 2007
A multiresidue method was assessed for the determination of several pesticides (organochlorine, organophosphorus, pyrethroids, triazole, amidine) using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The extraction of pesticides was carried out by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) using two types of columns (CN and C18). The extracts were cleaned by the addition of florisil, the pesticides were separated by capillary column gas chromatography and detected by mass spectrometry in the electron impact mode. The extraction using C18 column provided the best results for most of the analyzed pesticides. The majority of pesticides recoveries from the four fruits and vegetables (apples, pears, tomatoes and pepper) were greater than 60%. Linearity and precision were satisfactory. The estimated limits of detection and limits of quantification ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 mg/kg and from 0.02 to 0.3 mg/kg, respectively. The proposed procedure was found to be useful for the multiresidue analyses of pesticides in agricultural products for routine monitoring programs.
Journal of Chromatography A, 2005
In this work, a new multi-residue methodology using liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS) for the quantitative (routine) analysis of 15 pesticide residues has been developed. The analytical performance of the method was evaluated for different types of fruit and vegetables: pepper, broccoli, tomato, orange, lemon, apple and melon. The accurate mass measurements were compared in different matrices at significantly different concentration levels (from 0.01 to 0.5 mg/kg) obtaining accuracy errors lower than 2 ppm, which is well within the accepted limits for elemental confirmation. Linearity of response over two orders of magnitude was demonstrated (r > 0.99). Matrix effects resulting in suppression or enhancement of the response were frequently observed, most notably in broccoli and citrus. Instrumental limits of detection (LOD) were between 0.0005 and 0.03 mg/kg depending on the commodity and pesticide studied, all being within European Union regulations for food monitoring program. Finally, the methodology was applied to the analysis of two samples from an inter-laboratory exercise. The high degree of confirmation for target pesticides by accurate mass measurements demonstrated the applicability of the method in routine analysis. This study is a valuable indicator of the potential of LC-TOF-MS for quantitative multi-residue analysis of pesticides in vegetables and fruits.