Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Determination of 45 Pesticides in Avocado Varieties by the QuEChERS Method and Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Published on: December 8, 2023
A rapid multiresidue method for determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables by using acetonitrile
Frank J Schenck1, Amy N Brown, Lynda V Podhorniak
1U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Southeast Regional Laboratory, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA. Frank.Schenck@fda.hhs.gov
Abstract:
A modification of a rapid and inexpensive multiresidue method for determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables (QuEChERS method) is presented. Samples were extracted by shaking with acetic acid-acetonitrile (1 + 99). Water was removed by liquid-liquid partitioning with magnesium sulfate and sodium acetate. The extract was subjected to a single solid-phase extraction (SPE) column cleanup, which produced a cleaner extract than did the dispersive SPE cleanup used in the original QuEChERS method. Recovery data were obtained for 316 pesticide residues, at levels ranging from 20 ppb to 1.0 ppm. Data were provided by 3 different laboratories. The modified QuEChERS method resulted in a 65% reduction in solvent usage, when compared with the traditional multiresidue methods previously used in our laboratories.
