Unified Method for Target and Non-Target Monitoring of Pesticide Residues in Fruits and Fruit Juices by Gas Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Pesticide residues in grapes and wine: An overview on detection, health risks, and regulatory challenges

Grapes are fruits widely grown and known throughout the world, and they have significant economic and nutritional value. However, grapes are highly susceptible to attack by pests and insects, which reduces production and product quality. Pesticides are the most utilized solution for meeting global consumption demands and avoiding losses, and they can be used at any production stage. Although the benefits of using pesticides in grape production are evident, the prescribed limits must be observed to minimize their harmful effects on human health, as the accumulation of these compounds in the body over the long term can decrease life expectancy. This review of the literature intends to give a comprehensive analysis of pesticide residues in grape juice and wine, investigate analytical methodologies for pesticide detection, and set maximum residue limits (MRLs). Furthermore, the impacts of pesticide use and exposure to residues on the gut microbiota and adverse effects on human health were examined. Finally, insights into advances in detection and removal methods to mitigate the impact of pesticide residues in grape wine were presented. This review considers future perspectives in the field, including the development of safe and sustainable pesticides, with the improvement of international regulations to ensure food safety, aiming to expand pre-existing knowledge to provide more sustainable agricultural practices, encouraging global wine production. The target audience for this review includes researchers and academics, professionals in the agricultural and wine industry, regulators and government authorities, health professionals, and health and food safety-conscious consumers.

Advances on multiclass pesticide residue determination in citrus fruits and citrus-derived products - A critical review

The application of agrochemicals in citrus fruits is widely used to improve the quality of crops, increase production yields, and prolong post-harvest life. However, these substances are potentially toxic for humans and the ecosystem due to their widespread use, high stability, and bioaccumulation. Conventional techniques for determining pesticide residues in citrus fruits are chromatographic methods coupled with different detectors. However, in recent years, the need for analytical strategies that are less polluting for the environment has encouraged the appearance of new alternatives, such as sensors and biosensors, which allow selective and sensitive detection of pesticide residues in real time. A comprehensive overview of the analytical platforms used to determine pesticide residues in citrus fruits and citrus-derived products is presented herein. The review focuses on the evolution of these methods since 2015, their limitations, and possible future perspectives for improving pesticide residue determination and reducing environmental contamination.

Comprehensive analysis of contaminants in Brazilian infant formulas: Application of QuEChERS coupled with UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS and suspect screening-unknown analysis by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS

Infant formulas (IF) can contain harmful chemical substances, such as pesticides and mycotoxins, resulting from the contamination of raw materials and inputs used in the production chain, which can cause adverse effects to infants. Therefore, the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) methodology prior ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPL-QqQ-MS/MS) analysis was applied for the determination of 23 contaminants, in 30 samples of Brazilian IF. The method was validated in terms of limit of detection (0.2 to 0.4 μg/kg), limits of quantification (1 and 10 μg/kg), and recovery (64 % to 122 %); precision values, in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD), were ≤ 20 %. Fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos, and bifenthrin were the pesticides detected in the samples, but the values did not exceed the limit set by the European Union (EU), and ANVISA, and they were detected under their limits of quantification. Additionally, suspect screening and unknown analysis were conducted to tentatively identify 32 substances, including some compounds not covered in this study, such as pesticides, hormones, and veterinary drugs. Carbofuran was identified, confirmed and quantified in 10 % of the samples.

High resolution mass spectrometry targeted analysis and suspect screening of pesticide residues in fruit samples and assessment of dietary exposure

Fruits consistently hold a prominent position in healthy dietary habits. Pesticides are used to manage plant diseases, achieve sustainable production, and maintain high food standards. This study utilized a comprehensive analytical technique that involved both targeted analysis and suspect screening. Analysis was conducted using Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid Linear Trap Quadrupole (LTQ)/Orbitrap High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) to examine pesticide levels in fruits. The matrices chosen comprised fruit commodities that are commonly consumed in Greece, including table grapes, apples, pears, citrus fruits, and strawberries. The QuEChERS approach was effectively validated for 30 specific pesticides. According to the method acceptance criteria established by SANTE, the QuEChERS method have shown exceptional efficiency in extracting the chosen pesticides, with recovery rates ranging from 70% to 120% in three concentration levels (10, 50, 100 μg kg-1). It also exhibited outstanding linearity, with an R2 more than 0.99. The method exhibited exceptional precision, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 20%. Additionally, the combined measurement uncertainty (MU%) was found to be acceptable, remaining below 50% The quantification limits were below 10 μg kg-1 for the majority of the analytes, satisfying the Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) established by the European Commission. Following targeted analysis, a dietary risk assessment was performed, revealing that both acute and chronic hazard quotients (aHQ and cHQ), along with chronic hazard index (cHI) were below 1, which indicated that the studied commodities are safe for human consumption. In addition, a suspect screening workflow was developed based on an in-house database comprising 355 pesticides commonly applied to the relevant commodities and related transformation products (TPs). Overall, through suspect screening, twenty-two additional pesticides and TPs not included in the target list were identified. Hence, this approach is anticipated to function as proactive alert system guaranteeing the long-term viability of agricultural production.

Pesticide residues in fresh Mazafati date fruit, soil, and water, and assessment of potential health risks to consumers

A quantitative method based on quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe technique (QuEChERS) sample extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was evolved for the determination of 47 pesticide residues in fresh Mazafati date fruits from Bam City of Kerman Province, Iran. The recoveries for selected pesticides ranged from 88 to 110% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 20% at concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1 mg kg-1. The proposed method had a linear range from the limit of quantification (LOQ) to 1.00 mg kg-1, and the LOQ of the 47 pesticides was ≤ 0.005 mg kg-1. The coefficients of determination (R2) were more than 0.99. This technique was used on 12 fresh date fruits samples, three water samples, and three soil samples with three replications per sample. Forty-seven pesticide were detected collectively, but only diazinon was detected in the date fruit samples. The mean value of diazinon residues was 0.037 mg kg-1, and the concentration of diazinon in most samples was below the national maximum residue limit (MRL) for date fruit (0.05 mg kg-1). Among the pesticides measured, diazinon residues were also detected in the water samples, but not in the soil samples. The dietary intake assessment showed no health risk to humans from the consumption of fresh date fruit concerning the pesticides investigated.

Monitoring 432 potential pesticides in tomatoes produced and commercialized in Souss Massa region-Morocco, using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS

In this work, we monitored 432 pesticide residues in 39 tomato samples (cherry tomato) obtained from local markets in Souss Massa region-Morocco. We used a QuEChERS combined with LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS, and the method was validated based on SANTE 11312/2021 guideline. The limits of quantification (LOQ) obtained for most of the pesticides analyzed are at the limit with default EU MRLs or well below other EU MRLs. Recoveries (between 70 and 120%) and RSDs (≤20%) are satisfactory for more than 95% of the analytes at spiking level of 0.01 mg/kg and more than 97% at 0.1 mg/kg. The results indicated that 22 out of 39 tomato samples are positives and the most of our samples had levels lower than the maximum residue levels (MRLs) with average concentrations between 0.011 and 0.156 mg/kg. The most found pesticides were azoxystrobin and difenoconazole in tomato (7 samples). Only buprofezin (0.095 mg/kg) was found above the EU MRLs (0.01 mg/kg). Also, banned pesticides namely benalaxyl, spirodiclofen and imidacloprid have been detected. The results of our study confirm the previous findings and gives insights on the occurrence of different pesticides in tomato samples from Souss Massa region-Morocco.

Determination of 355 Pesticides in Lemon and Lemon Juice by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS

While pesticides have become a primary tool in modern agriculture, these compounds remain a high priority on the list of consumer concerns regarding food safety. The use of pesticides in the production and post-harvesting of lemon fruits is widely used to ensure agricultural yield and fruit quality. Therefore, monitoring studies on citrus fruits to enforce regulatory compliance and ensure food safety is in great demand. The aim of this study was to monitor multi-class pesticide residues in lemon fruits commercialized in Turkey. The transmission of residues that existed on the outer surface of the fruit into its juice was also studied. Whole fruits and lemon juice samples were prepared using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) methodology prior to analysis. For the screening and quantification of 355 pesticide residues, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) were used. The analytical method has been shown to have a sufficiently low limit of quantification with respect to current maximum residue limits (MRLs) for all target analytes. The obtained recovery and precision parameters fulfilled the requirements in DG SANTE guidelines. The in-house validated analytical method was then applied for the determination of 355 pesticide substances in 100 whole fruit samples and their juices. Sixteen different residues were detected in 43% of lemon fruits, whereas 57 lemon samples were pesticide-free. The MRLs exceedances were recorded in 29 lemon samples. The most frequently detected (17%) pesticide in lemon fruits was chlorpyrifos-methyl, with a range of 0.013-0.098 mg kg-1. A lower frequency was detected for metamitron (10%, 0.027-0.118 mg kg-1), buprofezin (9%, 0.023-0.076 mg kg-1), pyriproxyfen (9%, 0.021-0.102 mg kg-1) and malathion (7%, 0.100-0.482 mg kg-1) in whole fruits. However, none of the pesticide residues were detected in lemon juice samples. These results showed that target analytes are unable to penetrate the lemon exocarp and/or endocarp.