Determination of eight herbicide residues in foodstuffs of plant origin by gas chromatography–atmospheric pressure chemical ionization–tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

This study uses gas chromatography–atmospheric pressure chemical ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–APCI–MS/MS) to detect and identify 8 herbicide residues in foodstuffs of plant origin. In contrast to the extensive fragmentation caused by traditional electron impact ionization (EI) with high energy, APCI is a soft ionization technique. Therefore, more molecular ions and/or protonated molecules are present, improving the sensitivity and selectivity of analytical methods. The standard calibration curves ranged from 0.5 to 50 ng/mL; recoveries were in the range of 76.3–108.5%. The limit of quantification was 1.0 µg/kg for all samples. The results demonstrate the potential of GC–APCI–MS/MS to routinely detect and identify 8 herbicide residues in foodstuffs of plant origin.