One-step extraction for gas chromatography with flame photometric detection of 18 organophosphorus pesticides in Chinese medicine health wines

Simultaneous determination of organochlorine and pyrethriod pesticide residues in the Chinese patent medicines by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, sensitive, reliable method was developed for the simultaneous determination of organochlorine and pyrethriod pesticide residues in Chinese patent medicines Six ingredient rehmannia pills and Xiaoyao pills. These pesticides were extracted by ethyl acetate. The extraction time and volume of ethyl acetate were optimized. Cleanup of extracts was performed with dispersive-solid phase extraction using graphitized carbon black as the sorbent. The determination of pesticides in the final extracts was carried out by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode (GC-MS/MS, MRM). The linearity of the calibration curves is good in matrix-matched standard and yields the coefficients of determination (R²) ≥0.99 for all of the target analytes. Under optimized conditions, the average recoveries (five replicates) for most pesticides range from 75.5% to 114.6%, and RSDs are less than 10.0%. The LODs of 18 pesticides in Six ingredient rehmannia pill and Xiaoyao pills are in the range of 0.01-8.82 μg kg^-1. The developed method meets the requirements of pesticide residue analysis and could be effectively used for routine analysis of the organochlorine and pyrethriod pesticide residues in Six ingredient rehmannia pills and Xiaoyao pills.

LC-MS/MS determination of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables

The aim of the research is to evaluate pesticide residue contamination of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, agricultural raw material, purchased from Polish farmers for production of frozen fruits and vegetables, and the estimation of the multiresidue method effectiveness expressed as the proportion of pesticides detected in food samples to the total number of pesticides analyzed by multiresidue methods. A total of 144 samples (of black currants, red currants, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, blackberries, cauliflowers and broccoli) were analyzed using LC-MS/MS method for the determination of 60 pesticides. QuEChERS extraction, matrix-matched calibration and dynamic multiple reaction monitoring method were used. Residues of 15 compounds, mainly fungicides and insecticides, were detected in 46 samples. The percentage of samples with residues above the maximum residue levels (MRL) was 15%, whereas samples with residues below MRL were 17%. A total of 13 samples contained more than one pesticide residue. Pesticide residues were detected most often in samples of black currants (50%), broccoli (36.4%), raspberries (29%) and red currants (21.8%). The most frequently detected pesticides were carbendazim and acetamiprid. The proportion of pesticides detected during our study to the total number of analyzed pesticides amounted to 25%. It was compared to literature findings. For three fourth of multiresidue methods, the proportion was below 50% for methods developed for the analysis of less than 100 pesticides, and below 30% for methods developed for the analysis of more than 100 pesticides. It appears that a lot of efforts and means is lost on pesticides never or rarely detected in examined samples. The workload and cost effectiveness of the development and application of multiresidue methods along with the range of pesticides covered by the method should be carefully and thoroughly considered anytime when a new method or workflow is developed. Including non-targeted screenings in pesticide residue control seems to be an alternative worth considering.

Application of the QuEChERS method for the determination of organochlorine pesticide residues in Brazilian fruit pulps by GC-ECD

The Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) method was applied to the extraction of 14 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues from commercial fruit pulps available in supermarkets in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil. The analyses were carried out by gas chromatography (GC), coupled to an electron-capture detector (ECD), and were confirmed by GC-tandem mass spectrometry (MS). The parameters of the analytical method, such as accuracy, precision, linear range, limits of detection and quantification, were determined for each pesticide. The results showed good linearity (R² ≥ 0.9916) and the overall average recoveries were considered satisfactory obtaining values between 69 and 110%, RSD of 2-15 %, except for hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in açai, acerola and guava pulp samples. The OCPs were detected in guava (α-HCH; lindane) and soursop (α, β-HCH isomers) samples. The QuEChERS method and GC-ECD were successfully used to analyze OCPs in commercially available Brazilian fruit pulps and can be applied in routine analytical laboratories.

Ultra-preconcentration and determination of organophosphorus pesticides in soil samples by a combination of ultrasound assisted leaching-solid phase extraction and low-density solvent based dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

USAL-SPE-LDS-DLLME has been applied for the determination of OPPs in soil samples.

Safety issues and new rapid detection methods in traditional Chinese medicinal materials

The safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a major strategic issue that involves human health. With the continuous improvement in disease prevention and treatment, the export of TCM and its related products has increased dramatically in China. However, the frequent safety issues of Chinese medicine have become the 'bottleneck' impeding the modernization of TCM. It was proved that mycotoxins seriously affect TCM safety; the pesticide residues of TCM are a key problem in TCM international trade; adulterants have also been detected, which is related to market circulation. These three factors have greatly affected TCM safety. In this study, fast, highly effective, economically-feasible and accurate detection methods concerning TCM safety issues were reviewed, especially on the authenticity, mycotoxins and pesticide residues of medicinal materials.

Study of a molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography for simultaneous determination of trace trichlorfon and monocrotophos residues in vegetables

BACKGROUND

Organophosphate pesticide residues are harmful to human health because of their potential mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Therefore, it is of great importance to development an accurate and reliable analytical method to prevent their uncontrolled effects on environmental pollution and human health.

RESULTS

This study reports a new method of molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (MISPE-HPLC) for simultaneous determination of two organophosphate pesticides residues. Two types of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared using the trichlorfon and monocrotophos as the template molecule, respectively, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker. The recognition ability and adsorption-desorption dynamic of each imprinted polymer toward the trichlorfon or monocrotophos were characterised. Using the mixture of trichlorfon-MIP and monocrotophos-MIP (20:80, wt/wt) as solid-phase extraction sorbent, the factors affecting the pre-concentration on the analytes and the sensitivity of the MISPE-HPLC method were optimised. Under optimal condition, the linear range was 0.005-1.0 mg L⁻¹. The limit of detection was 4.2 µg g⁻¹ for trichlorfon, and 1.2 ng g⁻¹ for monocrotophos. The peak area precision [Relative standard deviation (RSD)] for three replicates was 2.9-4.5%. The blank rape and cauliflower samples spiked with trichlorfon and monocrotophos at 0.05 and 0.005 µg g⁻¹ levels were extracted and determined by this method with recoveries ranging from 88.5% to 94.2%. Moreover, this method was successfully applied to the quantitative detection of the trichlorfon and monocrotophos residues in leek samples.

CONCLUSION

With good properties of high sensitivity, simple pre-treatment and low cost, this MISPE-HPLC method could provide a new tool for the rapid determination of multi-pesticide residues in the complicated food samples.

Streamlined pretreatment and GC-FPD analysis of multi-pesticide residues in perennial Morinda roots: a tropical or subtropical plant

In this study, a simple and rapid multi-pesticide residues analytical method has been developed and evaluated for simultaneous identification and quantification of 30 organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) present at trace levels in perennial Morinda roots. Samples were firstly extracted and cleaned up with a streamlined method (modified QuEChERS), and then detected by gas chromatography with flame photometric detector (GC-FPD). For accurate quantification, representative matrix-matched calibration curves were applied to compensate matrix effects. Reasonable linearity was found in the concentration ranges of 0.04 and 1.28 μg mL(-1), with correlation coefficients r better than 0.9921 (0.9921-0.9998). The limits of detection (LODs) were between 0.005 and 0.02 μg mL(-1) for all investigated pesticides, while the limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 0.01-0.04 μg mL(-1), below the regulatory maximum residue limits (MRL) suggested. Acceptable quantitative recoveries of 75.01-118.89% (96.0% on average) were achieved with relative standard deviations (RSD) varying from 0.89% to 9.80% (5.39% on average) at three different concentration levels of 0.05, 0.1 and 1.0 mg kg(-1). Out of all 40 batches of real samples, only fenitrothion was found in two samples, which was successfully confirmed by GC-MS. Based on these results, this analytical method has been proven to be fast, robust, accurate, selective, sensitive and easy to operate in the analysis of multiple pesticide residues in Morinda roots. Meanwhile, it also draws attention to the need of pesticide monitoring programs in local soils.

Rapid analysis of multi-pesticide residues in lotus seeds by a modified QuEChERS-based extraction and GC-ECD

A modified quick, easy, cheap, efficient, rugged and safe method (QuEChERS) coupled to gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) was developed for rapid extraction and simultaneous determination of 36 pesticides in lotus seeds. The extraction solvent (acetone, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, n-hexane and n-hexane in combination with ethyl acetate) and purifying agent (neutral alumina, primary secondary amine, graphite carbon block and florisil) for QuEChERS extraction were optimized. The GC-ECD method was in-house validated in terms of linearity, selectivity, reproducibility, stability and recovery. The limits of detection (LODs) of the developed GC-ECD method for all investigated pesticides ranged from 0.01 to 3.0μgL(-1) and limits of quantification (LOQs) from 0.05 to 10.0μgL(-1). The satisfactory data demonstrated the good reproducibility and stability of the method with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 15%. Recoveries for spiked lotus seed samples were from 60.84% to 119.91% with RSDs lower than 13.06%. Two out of 24 batches of lotus seeds collected in China were found to be contaminated with trans-chlordane, which were below LOQ. This is the first attempt in China using QuEChERS to GC-ECD to determine 36 major pesticides with differences in physio-chemical properties in lotus seeds. The method described here was found to be practicable in the routine residue analysis of pesticides in lotus seeds.