Multi-residue method for determination of pesticides in vegetable samples by GC-MS-MS

Abstract

A method for detection, quantification, and confirmation of 30 multi-class pesticide residues in fresh vegetables by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS) has been developed. The optimum ionization mode, electron impact (El-MS-MS) or chemical ionization (Cl-MS-MS), was used for different groups of pesticides in a single run. The residues were previously extracted from vegetables with dichloromethane. A 10μL aliquot of the extract can be injected in routine analysis without a clean up step when the glass liner is used with Carbofrit. Recovery efficiencies ranged 70–119% at the two different fortification levels studied and the relative standard deviation was <16.9% for all compounds. The limit of detection of each compound was 30 ng Kg−1−6 μg Kg−1. The proposed method was applied to the routine analysis of pesticides in vegetables grown in an important greenhouses area located in El Ejido (Almeria, Spain).