Simultaneous Quantitative Determination of Residues of Pyriproxyfen and Its Metabolites in Tea and Tea Infusion Using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A reliable, simultaneous residue-analysis method for pyriproxyfen and its five metabolites in fresh tea leaves, green tea, black tea, green-tea infusion and black-tea infusion was developed and validated. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile, purified using a modified QuEChERs (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method and determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The method was successfully calibrated in the range of 0.005–2.50 mg/L with correlation coefficients (r) equal to or above 0.9957. The limits of detection (LODs) were less than 0.002 mg/L. The average spiked recoveries of pyriproxyfen and its metabolites at four levels were 71.2~102.9% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.3~14.4%. The limits of quantification (LOQs) in fresh tea leaves, tea and tea infusion were 0.002 mg/kg, 0.005 mg/kg and 0.0002 mg/L, respectively. This proposed method was feasible and was applied to analyze the residues of pyriproxyfen and its five metabolites on real fresh tea leaf samples. The results indicated that the half-life (t1/2) of pyriproxyfen on fresh tea leaves was 2.48 d, and the five metabolites were detected on fresh tea leaves during field growth after application.