With residual levels strictly regulated for human health and safety, short analytical turnaround times are critical to providing the necessary information required to rapidly detect the presence of pesticides in food. For rapid and highly sensitive screening of food matrices to detect the presence of pesticides residues, our chromatographic technologies are trusted throughout the industry. Our QSight™ Pesticide Analyzer, built to run hundreds of pesticides in one run with the utmost sensitivity and efficiency, it is the only instrument that provides 15% higher throughput than conventional systems.
Fipronil is a broad-spectrum phenylpyrazole insecticide almost used to protect corps from insects but also to treat lice and ticks in chickens. The U.S. EPA classified fipronil as Group C, possible human carcinogen, therefore International organizations defined admissible limits for the fipronil usage which in egg is of 5 µg/L4. LC-MS/MS technology can provide a robust and reliable method to detect such a contaminant in food.
Wine can often contain pesticides and fungicides that have been sprayed on the fruits during their growing period. In addition to these contaminants, wine can also contain additives that have been deliberately added during production processes to improve its flavor and color. In this study, a simple and sensitive LC-MS/MS method has been developed and applied for the determination of both pesticides and pigments in a single analytical run.
Agricultural growing of hemp products for the purposes of cannabidiol (CBD) extraction was legalized in the United States with the passing of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. Since the act passed, heightened concern over the use of pesticides in hemp production has been appreciated. However, no federal guidance is currently available in the United States to standardize analytical methods for the detection and quantification of pesticide residues in hemp products. In this application note, a robust and efficient single-run LC/MS/MS method for the determination of 66 pesticides, including hydrophobic and chlorinated pesticides typically analyzed by GC/MS/MS, is presented. Utilizing a PerkinElmer QSight® 420 UHPLC with MS/MS detector and dual ESI and APCI sources, excellent recoveries in the range of 70-120% were achieved. The application note also outlines participation in an Emerald Scientific blind proficiency test, with acceptable results for all 66 pesticides.
The Grape crop is one of the most important fruit crops consumed in the world. Grapes are consumed both as fresh and as processed products, such as wine, jam, juice, jelly, grape seed extract, raisins, vinegar and grape seed oil. A large variety of pesticides are used in grape production throughout its growing season to control pests and diseases in vineyards and to increase crop yield. Pesticide residue is a major concern for the stakeholders of the grape industry, due to more and more stringent regulations and safety standards in most countries.
This Application Note talks about pesticide residues analysis tested by Clarus 690 Gas Chromatograph
In this study, the QSight LC-MS/MS system was used to evaluate the potential of eliminating sample preparation for trace level pesticide analysis in a complex sample such as wine. We injected undiluted red and white wine samples into the mass spectrometer and studied reproducibility in analysis of the spiked pesticides over 200 injections. The instrument showed excellent reproducibility with minimal signal drift during the duration of the study (over a week), confirming the robustness of the QSight mass spectrometer.
Glyphosate is an organophosphate herbicide that is used on crops to kill weeds and grasses. We present a study that involves direct analysis of glyphosate in wine on a mixed mode column with no sample dilution or extraction using a PerkinElmer QSight® 220 triple quadruple mass spectrometer with a patented StayClean™ source, consisting of a hot surface induced desolvation (HSID)™ interface and a Laminar Flow Ion Guide™. Both the HSID and ion guide prevent any contaminants from entering the mass spectrometer, keeping it at its highest performance level and, thereby, maintenance free.
Testing for the levels of pesticide and mycotoxins in cannabis is important to ensure consumer safety and quality control. In this work, the PerkinElmer application development team analyzed all 66 pesticides (including very hydrophobic and chlorinated pesticides typically analyzed by GC-MS/MS) and five mycotoxins spiked in cannabis flower extracts well below the action limits specified by the state of California. A LC-MS/MS instrument was used with ESI and APCI sources and a simple solvent extraction method with excellent recoveries for all analytes in acceptable range of 70-120%.
Following the 2018 legalization of recreational cannabis usage in Canada, the quality and safety of cannabis products has garnered significant attention. Health Canada has developed a regulatory program mandating pesticide testing on all cannabis products. Under the program, licensed producers (LPs) of cannabis products in Canada are required to send representative samples of products to independent laboratories for pesticide screening and quantification. In this application note, a robust and reliable method for the analysis of 96 pesticides in cannabis flower by LC/MS/MS utilizing both ESI and APCI modes is presented. The method not only offers ultra-low detection limits at or below the Health Canada regulatory levels, but also offers significant efficiency gains over other available methodologies. Utilizing LC/MS/MS with both ESI and APCI modes obviates the need to perform both GC/MS/MS and LC/MS/MS analyses to analyze all 96 regulated pesticides, saving significant time and money for operators.
Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) has become the method of choice for pesticide. The state of Oregon has issued regulatory limits for 59 pesticide residues in both cannabis flower and concentrates, while other states have come up with their own lists of pesticide residues relating to medical marijuana and cannabis testing.
Due to the large number of pesticides potentially used in rice production, the use of multi-residue methods capable of determining many pesticides in one single run is the most efficient approach. In this study, a fast, sensitive and selective multiresidue method has been developed for analysis of over 200 pesticides in rice samples by coupling a modified QuEChERS extraction method with LC-MS/MS. Using time-managedMRM™ in the QSight® triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, the optimum dwell time of multiple MRM transitions can be generated automatically for the targeted analytes.
Analysis of target pesticide residues in berries using a unique laminar flow UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS
The use of cannabis concentrates and CBD products (edibles, topicals, vape products, etc.) has increased in popularity as new regulation has been passed legalizing medicinal and recreational use in a number of states and provinces. Testing to ensure that pesticide and mycotoxin levels in cannabis products are below regulatory levels is critical, however, the cannabis concentrate matrix presents many analytical challenges including higher sample matrix effects and an increased concentration of cannabinoids in the sample. In this application note, an LC/MS/MS method for the analysis of 66 pesticides (including hydrophobic and chlorinated pesticides typically analyzed by GC/MS/MS) and five mycotoxins in a cannabis concentrate matrix is presented. Utilizing a QSight® 420 LC/MS/MS instrument with dual APCI and ESI sources, the analysis yielded excellent recoveries and detection limits below those specified by the state of California cannabis regulations.
Glyphosate is a very polar compound with high solubility in water and low solubility in most organic solvents and, as such, requires methods based on derivatization which are labor-intensive and time consuming. The present work shows a 12 minute LC-MS/MS method with an amino-based column to analyze glyphosate and other related polar compounds in underivatized states, with exceptional selectivity and sensitivity.
It is very well known that Black pepper is a complex matrix that requires a proper extraction and clean-up method for interferences. In this study, a fast, sensitive and selective multi-residue method has been developed for analysis of over 136 pesticides in Pepper samples by coupling a modified QuEChERS extraction method with LC/MS/MS. Using time-managed- MRM™ in the QSight™ triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, the optimum dwell time of multiple MRM transitions can be generated automatically for the targeted analytes. This not only saves time in method development but also improves data quality and analytical performance of instrument.
