Modern methods for the determination of pesticide residues in beekeeping products and for the diagnostics of bee poisoning

Abstract

Intensification of agricultural production is associated with the use of a significant amount of pesticides, which negatively affects the environment and human health, and food products, including beekeeping products, accordingly require mandatory control of residual amounts of pesticides. This article provides a comparative analysis of the available chromatographic methods for pesticide residue research. The necessity of using modern chromatographic methods to determine residual amounts of pesticides in samples of dead bees and beekeeping products is well-founded. Chromatographic methods of studying these indicators in different types of matrices are a priority. They are effective methods of analysis, widely used due to their versatility - they allow the analysis of complex inorganic and organic compounds in various aggregate states. But one of the most common modern methods for pesticide determination is gas and liquid three-quadrupole tandem chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC and/or LC-MS/MS). The GC-MS/MS method provides quantitative determination of analytes at a level that is an order of magnitude higher than, for example, the gas single quadrupole mass spectrometry method. Modern methods of gas and liquid chromatography in combination with quadrupoletime-of-flight mass spectrometric detection (LC/Q-TOF/MS or GC/ Q-TOF/MS) also allow qualitative and quantitative multicomponent analysis of pesticides in beekeeping products. GC and LC systems combined with high-resolution Orbitrap MS (GC-HRMS(Q-Orbitrap)/LC-HRMS (Q-Orbitrap)) have higher sensitivity, enabling ultra-trace detection, and are the most sensitive screening method for multicomponent determination of pesticide residues. Thus, the latest chromatographic methods are able to meet the needs of analytical testing and research laboratories in the field of food safety, including beekeeping products. Key words: chromatographic methods, thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, multi-component analysis, pesticides, honey, dead bees.