A QUECHERS method for sample preparation in the analysis of pesticides in tomato

Abstract

The tomato is one of the crops that is likely to be attacked by pests. The use of pesticides during its harvest has consequently increased in recent years. This use has raised concerns about the presence of chemical contaminants in food, which may have harmful effects on health. To identify and determine the presence of pesticides efficiently and reliably at any of the stages: washing, peeling and sterilization, a fast, easy, cheap, effective, robust, and safe methodology (QuEChERS) is created. Today, it is successfully implemented for the monitoring of these residues in tomato with recovery percentages and relative standard deviations according to international standards. This review analyzes the application of the QuEChERS methodology for the identification and determination of pesticides in tomato, through a review of the literature in recent years. In addition, a bibliometric analysis of the Scopus database between 2007-2021 is performed, finding that the most published areas are Chemistry and Agriculture, being China the leading country with more publications. It was concluded that in most of research, modifications are made in the methodology such as the use of dicyandiamine sludge, obtaining good results in the extraction and recovery percentages with the advantage of having a lower cost and environmental pollution.