Simultaneous Determination of 27 Pesticides in Ginseng by UPLC/MS/MS and Modified QuEChERS Procedure

A novel, simple, and rapid method for the quantification of 27 commonly used pesticides in ginseng incorporating a modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) procedure was developed and validated. The pesticides were extracted with 1% acetic acid in acetonitrile and extracts purified by use of the mixed sorbents primary-secondary amine, C18, and graphitized carbon black. Quantitative analysis of all pesticides was performed by ultra-performance LC/MS/MS in the positive ionization mode in a single run due to the fast polarity switching capability of the mass spectrometer. Two precursor-product ion transitions were monitored for each compound in the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Quantification was carried out using matrix-matched standards for calibration. Recoveries of the proposed method from the spiked samples were achieved in the range 62.8-108.5%, and RSD ranged from 1.5 to 11.8%.