Simultaneous and Fast Determination of Malachite Green, Leucomalachite Green, Crystal Violet, and Brilliant Green in Seafood by Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A new procedure has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of malachite green (MG), leucomalachite green (LMG), crystal violet (CV), and brilliant green (BG) in seafood using a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) procedure and subsequent determination by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry in <5.5 min. The developed method was validated at 2, 10, 25, and 100 μg kg−1, obtaining recoveries in the range of 48–112 %, with repeatability and interday precision values (expressed as relative standard deviation) ≤17 and ≤24 %, respectively. Matrix effect was evaluated for different types of seafood (shrimp, salmon, and trout), indicating that shrimp can be chosen as representative matrix for the determination of the selected dyes, except for LMG. Limits of quantification (LOQs) were <0.5 μg kg−1, which were always below the minimum required performance limits established by the European Union. The decision limit (CCα) and detection capability (CCβ) values were also estimated in the three matrices evaluated, and CCβ ranged from 0.46 to 1.22 μg kg−1. Finally, several types of seafood were analyzed, and some dye residues (MG, CV and BG) were detected in a salmon sample.