Multiresidual analysis of pesticides in white table grapes using hyphenated chromatographic techniques: Compliance...

Grapes are widely cultivated and consumed, requiring pesticide control to ensure consumer safety. Herein we report a simplified workflow for detecting 236 pesticides in white table grapes within the EU multi-annual control programme, along with chronic, acute and cumulative risk assessments. The method involved two complementary analytical platforms: low-pressure gas chromatography (LP-GC) for volatile/semi-volatile pesticides and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) for polar/thermally labile pesticides, both coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (QqQMS). The methods were validated in terms of linearity (correlation coefficients ≥0.998 for all analytes), extraction recovery (mean recoveries of 70-120 % for >90 % of pesticides), precision (intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations ≤20 % for all validated concentrations), trueness (in the range 63-135 %), and limit of quantification (ranging from 0.002 to 0.01 mg Kg^-1 for LP-GC-QqQMS and from 0.002 to 0.05 mg Kg^-1 for UHPLC-QqQMS). Analysis of 20 samples detected 23 pesticides, five of which exceeded MRLs. Risk assessment showed that parathion-methyl poses unacceptable chronic and acute risks (exceedance up to 234 % and 193 % respectively), especially for children under <10 years old and toddlers due to their high consumption and low body weight. This highlights the need for stricter monitoring and regulatory measures to minimize pesticide exposure to widely consumed fruits.