One-step extraction versus QuEChERS for pesticide analysis in selected fruits and vegetables

Abstract

This research was focused on the performance evaluation of a simple sample preparation involving acetonitrile extraction followed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. Simplified method validation parameters, along with several other features, were compared to those of the citrate QuEChERS for 19 pesticides analyzed in four representative fruits and vegetables. The results showed comparable performances of the two methods for 5 of the 6 investigated validation parameters. The simplified method had better performance regarding the selectivity, since three analytes experienced a selectivity issue in one of four QuEChERS-treated matrices. Overall, results lead to an assumption that acetonitrile extraction could be reasonably implemented in certain cases of pesticide analysis, as an efficient and economical alternative to the official method. Since the research provides an insight into acetonitrile extraction capabilities in the domain of pesticide analysis in complex matrices, scientists, researchers or analytical practitioners can determine which method is most beneficial for a particular analysis.