Multiresidue analysis of pesticides in vegetables and fruits using a high capacity absorbent polymer for water

Simultaneous Analysis of 17 Organochlorine Pesticides in Natural Medicines by GC/MS with Negative Chemical Ionization

Many methods for the determination of pesticide residues in food have been reported. Although natural medicines should be confirmed to be as safe as food, few methods for the determination of pesticide residues in natural medicines have been reported. In this study, 17 organochlorine pesticides were detected in natural medicines using GC/MS with negative chemical ionization (NCI). GC/MS with NCI can detect halogenated pesticides selectively and thus is suitable for the detection of organochlorine pesticides. This study indicates that GC/MS with NCI is useful for analyzing organochlorine pesticides in natural medicines.

Methods of sample preparation for determination of pesticide residues in food matrices by chromatography-mass spectrometry-based techniques: a review

Much progress has been made in pesticide analysis over the past decade, during which time hyphenated techniques involving highly efficient separation and sensitive detection have become the techniques of choice. Among these, methods based on chromatographic separation with mass spectrometric detection have resulted in greater likelihood of identification and are acknowledged to be extremely useful and authoritative methods for determination of pesticide residues. Even with such powerful instrumental techniques, however, the risk of interference increases with the complexity of the matrix studied, so sample preparation before instrumental analysis is still mandatory in many applications, for example food analysis. This article summarizes the analytical characteristics of the different methods of sample-preparation for determination of pesticide residues in a variety of food matrices, and surveys their recent applications in combination with chromatographic mass spectrometric analysis. We discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of the different methods, address instrumental aspects, and summarize conclusions and perspectives for the future.

Simultaneous determination of 405 pesticide residues in grain by accelerated solvent extraction then gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A new method has been established for simultaneous determination of 405 pesticide residues in grain, using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), solid-phase extraction (SPE), and GC-MS and LC-MS-MS. The method was based on appraisal of the GC-MS and LC-MS-MS characteristics of 660 pesticides, their efficiency of extraction from grain, and their purification. Samples of grain (10 g) were mixed with Celite 545 (10 g) and the mixture was placed in a 34-mL cell of an accelerated solvent extractor and extracted with acetonitrile in the static state for 3 min with two cycles at 1,500 psig and at 80 degrees C. For the 362 pesticides determined by GC-MS, half of the extracts were cleaned with an Envi-18 cartridge and then further cleaned with Envi-Carb and Sep-Pak NH2 cartridges in series. The pesticides were eluted with acetonitrile-toluene, 3:1, and the eluates were concentrated and used for analysis after being exchanged with hexane twice. For the 43 pesticides determined by LC-MS-MS the other half of the extracts were cleaned with Sep-Pak Alumina N cartridge and further cleaned with Envi-Carb and Sep-Pak NH2 cartridges. Pesticides were eluted with acetonitrile-toluene, 3:1. After evaporation to dryness the eluates were diluted with acetonitrile-water, 3:2, and used for analysis. In the linear range of each pesticide the linear correlation coefficient r was equal to or greater than 0.956 and 94% of linear correlation coefficients were greater than 0.990. At low, medium, and high fortification levels, at the limit of detection (LOD), twice the LOD and ten times LOD, respectively, recoveries ranged from 42 to 132%; for 382 pesticides, or 94.32%, recovery was from 60 to 120%. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was always below 38% and was below 30% for 391 pesticides, or 96.54%. The LOD was 0.0005-0.3000 mg kg(-1). The proposed method is suitable for determination of 405 pesticide residues in grain such as maize, wheat, oat, rice, and barley, etc.

Simple, rapid solid-phase extraction procedure for the determination of ultra-trace levels of pyrethroids in ground and sea water by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy

A method based on liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy with electrospray ionization in positive mode (LC/ESI-MS) to determine trace levels of pyrethroids in environmental water samples has been developed. The chromatographic and the MS parameters were optimized to obtain the best sensitivity and selectivity for all pesticides. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) using C18 cartridges was applied for preconcentration of pesticide trace levels (ng/L) in both ground and sea water samples. The preconcentration step was carried out with 800 mL of water sample modified with 200 mL of MeOH to improve the recovery percentages in the SPE procedure. The SPE-LC/ESI-MS methodology was applied to determine pyrethroids in ground and sea water samples spiked at ng/L concentration levels. Recoveries obtained in ground water were satisfactory (between 72 and 110%). However, an enhancement of the signals of all pesticides in the sea water was found due to the negative effect of the salt in the ionization source. To eliminate this effect a simple cleanup step of the SPE cartridge using 200 mL of Milli-Q water was performed. The cleanup removed the matrix effect completely from the marine samples. Thus, the recovery percentages ranged from 80 to 115%. The method was applied to determine ng/L of pyrethroids in both ground and marine water samples with precision values lower than 10%.

Determination of acetamiprid, imidacloprid, and nitenpyram residues in vegetables and fruits by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection

Determination of 3 neonicotinoid insecticides, nitenpyram, imidacloprid, and acetamiprid, was studied. Vegetables and fruits were extracted with acetonitrile. The crude extract was passed through a weak anion-exchange cartridge (PSA). The effluent was subjected to silica gel cartridge. Imidacloprid and acetamiprid were eluted with 10 mL of 4:6 (v/v) acetone/hexane, followed by nitenpyram with acetone (20 mL). Pesticides were determined by HPLC with a C-18 column and diode-array detection system. Imidacloprid and acetamiprid were recovered at about 90% at the spike levels with 0.2 and 2 mg/kg in cucumber, potato, tomato, eggplant, Japanese radish, and grape. Nitenpyram was recovered at 64-80%. Relative standard deviations were less than 10% throughout all the recovery tests. In the residue analysis, agriculturally incurred pesticides at 0.08-0.14 mg/kg were designated with UV spectra compared with respective reference standards.

[Drying ability of anhydrous sodium sulfate on wet organic solvents after liquid-liquid partition]

Water concentration in organic solvents after liquid-liquid partition was determined by the Karl Fischer titration method. n-Hexane and petroleum ether showed quite low levels of water, such as 0.1 mg/mL. The water concentration in wet ethyl acetate was about 20-30 mg/mL and that in diethyl ether was about 8-10 mg/mL. Anhydrous sodium sulfate absorbed about 20-25% of the water after vigorous mixing with wet ethyl acetate or diethyl ether. Wet acetonitrile extract from wet food, which contained about 60 mg/mL water after salting out with sodium chloride, was not dried at all with anhyfrous sodium sulfate treatment. Spiking n-hexane into wet ethyl acetate or wet diethyl ether was effective to exclude water. Spiking toluene into salted acetonitrile drove out water and dissolved sodium chloride. It can be concluded that the drying ability of anhydrous sodium sulfate towards wet organic solvents is poor, but it is effective in removing suspended water in solvents.

Selective enrichment of 17 pyrethroids from lyophilised agricultural samples

The screening of agricultural samples to determine 17 synthetic pyrethroids was investigated. Samples were lyophilised without losses of the insecticides, and then extracted with n-hexane. A simple, continuous preconcentration-elution system was developed, which included a silica sorbent column (packed with 50 mg) and used an air stream to carry the eluent (ethyl acetate) which minimised the eluate volume thus increasing the preconcentration factor; so no evaporation step was required. Pyrethroids were determined by gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) by using a 5% phenylmethylpolysiloxane-coated fused-silica capillary column; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify the pyrethroids detected by GC-ECD monitoring. Limits of detection varied between 0.1 and 0.8 ng/ml (except for piperonyl butoxide, 25 ng/ml) with linear ranges from 1 to 200 ng/ml; the precision of the method was high (3-6%). Recoveries of 17 insecticides from 14 different agricultural samples fortified at levels of 20-100 ng/g ranged from 66 to 102% (bifenthrin and deltamethrin were those providing the lowest values, 66-87%). Pyrethroids were detected in eight samples (from the 100 unfortified agricultural samples tested) at concentrations lower than the established maximum residue limits (MRLs).