Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for Simultaneous Pesticide...

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Safety

Background:

• Pesticides enhance crop yield but leave harmful residues impacting health and environment.
• Controlling pesticide residue levels is crucial for food safety and regulatory compliance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a simultaneous multicomponent analysis method for pesticide residues in sweet peppers.
• To ensure the safety of sweet peppers for consumers through effective residue management.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS).
• Employed the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Rugged, and Safe) method for sample pretreatment.
• Selected 12 high-frequency detection pesticides in sweet peppers from a 5-year Gyeongnam region study.

Main Results:

• Validated analytical method with linearity (r² > 0.999), low limits of detection (1.4–3.2 µg/kg) and quantification (4.1–9.7 µg/kg).
• Achieved high recovery rates (81.7–99.7%) and confirmed measurement uncertainty.
• Demonstrated that method parameters meet international standards for accuracy and precision.

Conclusions:

• The developed UHPLC-QTOF-MS method is reliable for simultaneous pesticide residue analysis in sweet peppers.
• This method contributes to providing safer sweet peppers to consumers.
• The approach facilitates effective pesticide residue management and can be extended to other agricultural products.