Evaluation and interlaboratory validation of a GC-MS method for analysis of pesticide residues in teas

Dissipation behavior, residue distribution, and risk assessment of triflumizole and FM-6-1 in greenhouse strawberries and soil

This study aimed to develop a reliable method for the simultaneous analysis of triflumizole (TRIF) and its primary metabolite FM-6-1 (N-4-chloro-2-trifluoromethylphenyl-2-propoxy-acetamidine) in the soil and treated strawberries using solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Using this method, TRIF and FM-6-1 degradation in strawberries and the soil under greenhouse conditions were investigated. The field trials showed that t_1/2 of TRIF and total residues (the sum of TRIF and FM-6-1) were 1.6-2.2 days and 2.4-2.9 days in strawberry and 4.3-6.1 days and 5.5-6.9 days in soil, respectively. Terminal total residues were ≤ 0.39 mg/kg in strawberry and ≤ 0.42 mg/kg in soil from 5 to 10 days of harvest. The risk quotient (RQ) of TRIF was below 1.89%, showing that the dietary risk of TRIF in strawberry was low. These findings provide guidance for the use of TRIF on crops and provide reference to establish the maximum residue level (MRL) of TRIF in strawberry.

Interlaboratory assessment of cryomilling sample preparation for residue analysis

The effectiveness of the comminution approach used for bulk field samples limits the size of the subsample that must be extracted and analyzed to ensure an adequately representative and reproducible measurement. In many cases this subsample size restricts the residue method to the use of larger vessel formats, limiting downstream throughput. The introduction of a secondary fine-milling step to this process using a subsample size already known to be representative can further improve sample homogeneity and allow direct method scaling to small high-throughput formats. Dramatic increases in method throughput can then be achieved through the simultaneous processing of numerous samples in parallel. This approach was evaluated across a diverse grouping of crop matrices using two substantially different pesticide types. Both fortified and field-collected samples demonstrated a high degree of precision and reproducibility across laboratories. Additional benefits of this approach include significant reductions in cost and solvent waste generation, as well as improvements in assay quality and transferability.

Monitoring of some pesticides residue in consumed tea in Tehran market

Tea is an agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of various cultivars and sub-varieties of the Camellia sinensis plant, processed and vulcanized using various methods. Tea is a main beverage in Iranian food basket so should be free from toxic elements such as pesticides residue. There is no data bank on the residue of pesticides in the consumed black tea in Iran. The present study is the first attempt for monitoring of 25 pesticide residues from different chemical groups in tea samples obtained from local markets in Tehran, I.R. Iran during the period 2011. A reliable and accurate method based on spiked calibration curve and QuEChERS sample preparation was developed for determination of pesticide residues in tea by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The using of spiked calibration standards for constructing the calibration curve substantially reduced adverse matrix-related effects and negative recovery affected by GCB on pesticides. The recovery of pesticides at 3 concentration levels (n = 3) was in range of 81.4 - 99.4%. The method was proved to be repeatable with RSDr lower than 20%. The limits of quantification for all pesticides were ≤20 ng/g. 53 samples from 17 imported and manufactured brand were analyzed. Detectable pesticides residues were found in 28.3% (15 samples) of the samples. All of the positive samples were contaminated with unregulated pesticides (Endosulfan Sulfate or Bifenthrin) which are established by ISIRI. None of the samples had contamination higher than maximum residue limit set by EU and India.

Analysis of agricultural residues on tea using d-SPE sample preparation with GC-NCI-MS and UHPLC-MS/MS

This study presents new sample preparation and analytical procedures for the quantification of pesticides on processed tea leaves. The new method includes tea extraction and dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) to prepare gas chromatography (GC) and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-ready samples, providing a fast and cost-effective solution for time-sensitive industrial analysis to fulfill regulatory requirements. Both GC-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS) and UHPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) were employed to produce highly sensitive and reproducible data. Excellent limits of detection (typically below 1 μg/kg for GC and 10 μg/kg for UHPLC), wide linearity ranges, and good recoveries (mostly >70%) were achieved on the selected pesticides. Twenty-seven tea samples purchased from local grocery stores were analyzed using the newly developed methods. Among the pesticides analyzed, endosulfan sulfate and kelthane were the most frequently detected by GC-NCI-MS and imidacloprid and acetamiprid by UHPLC-MS/MS in these teas. The samples were found to be relatively clean, with <1 mg/kg of total pesticide residues. The organic-labeled teas were significantly cleaner than nonorganic ones. The cost per gram of tea did not correlate with pesticide residue levels detected.

Determination of enantiomeric fractions of cypermethrin and cis-bifenthrin in Chinese teas by GC/ECD

BACKGROUND

The pyrethroids cypermethrin and cis-bifenthrin are the major pesticides used in tea plantations in China. Potential neurotoxic, genotoxic and immunotoxic effects of chronic exposure to pyrethroids have been reported. All synthetic pyrethroids are chiral compounds. There is a need to investigate the chiral transformation among isomers after tea processing in order to obtain an accurate risk assessment of these compounds.

RESULTS

The enantiomeric fraction (EF) of cis-bifenthrin residues was close to 0.5 in all tea samples tested, showing that the levels of (+)-isomer and (-)-isomer were equivalent and there was no preferential degradation. However, the patterns of EFs of cypermethrin residues varied depending on the type of tea. The EF of isomer 1R-3R-alphaS increased in black and dark tea samples (EF = 0.200-0.343) compared with the reference cypermethrin commercial mixture (EF = 0.116). In one oolong tea sample it was found that the relative abundance of some isomers was preferentially enhanced: 1R-3R-alphaS (EF = 0.260), 1S-3S-alphaR (EF = 0.263) and 1R-3S-alphaS/1S-3R-alphaR (the last elution peak, EF = 0.275). The relationship between EF and compound concentration was also analysed, showing that the variation in EFs of cypermethrin was concentration-dependent.

CONCLUSION

These findings appear to be useful for assessing the species-specific risk of exposure to cypermethrin and cis-bifenthrin.

Rapid differentiation of tea products by surface desorption atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

Protonated water molecules generated by an ambient corona discharge were directed to impact tea leaves for desorption/ionization at atmospheric pressure. Thus, a novel method based on surface desorption chemical ionization mass spectrometry (DAPCI-MS) has been developed for rapid analysis of tea products without any sample pretreatment. Under the optimized experimental conditions, DAPCI MS spectra of various tea samples are recorded rapidly, and the resulting mass spectra are chemical fingerprints that characterize the tea samples. On the basis of the mass spectral fingerprints, 40 tea samples including green tea, oolong tea, and jasmine tea were successfully differentiated by principal component analysis (PCA) of the mass spectral raw data. The PCA results were also validated with cluster analysis and supervised PCA analysis. The alteration of signal intensity caused by rough surfaces of tea leaves did not cause failure in the separation of the tea products. The experimental findings show that DAPCI-MS creates ions of both volatile and nonvolatile compounds in tea products at atmospheric pressure, providing a practical and convenient tool for high-throughput differentiation of tea products.