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The utility of ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry for multi‐residue determination of pesticides in strawberry
Author(s) -
Taylor Michael J.,
Keenan George A.,
Reid Kirsty B.,
Fernández Diana Uría
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/rcm.3671
Subject(s) - chemistry , chromatography , mass spectrometry , electrospray ionization , time of flight mass spectrometry , high performance liquid chromatography , pesticide residue , tandem mass spectrometry , analyte , quechers , pesticide , calibration curve , detection limit , analytical chemistry (journal) , ionization , ion , organic chemistry , agronomy , biology
The utility of ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/orthogonal‐acceleration time‐of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/TOFMS) for the rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of 100 pesticides targeted in strawberry was assessed by comparing results with those obtained using a validated in‐house UPLC tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) multi‐residue method. Crude extracts from retail strawberry samples received as part of the 2007 annual UK pesticide residues in food surveillance programme were screened for the presence of pesticide residues using UPLC/TOFMS. Accurate mass measurement of positive and negative ions allowed their extraction following ‘full mass range data acquisition’ with negligible interference from background or co‐eluting species observed during UPLC gradient separation (in a cycle time of just 6.5 min per run). Extracted ion data was used to construct calibration curves and to detect and identify any incurred residues (i.e. pesticides incorporated in or on the test material following application during cultivation, harvest and storage). Calibration using matrix‐matched standards was performed over a narrow concentration range of 0.005–0.04 mg kg −1 with determination coefficients (r 2 ) ≥0.99 for all analytes with the exception of malathion/fenarimol/fludioxanil (r 2 = 0.98), quassia/pymetrazine (r 2 = 0.97) and fenthion sulfone (r 2 = 0.95). Residues found in selected samples ranged from 0.025–0.28 mg kg −1 and were in excellent agreement with results obtained using UPLC/MS/MS. Mass measurement accuracies of ≤5 ppm were achieved consistently throughout the separation, mass range and concentration range of interest thus providing the opportunity to obtain discrete elemental compositions of target ions. © Crown copyright 2008. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.