Fast analysis of quaternary ammonium pesticides in food and beverages using cation‐exchange chromatography coupled with isotope‐dilution high‐resolution mass spectrometry

Abstract

A fast separation based on cation-exchange liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry is proposed for simultaneous determination of chlormequat, difenzoquat, diquat, mepiquat and paraquat in several food and beverage commodities. Solid samples were extracted using a mixture of water/methanol/formic acid (69.6:30:0.4, v/v/v), while liquid samples were ten times diluted with the same solution. Separation was carried out on an experimental length-modified IonPac CS17 column (2 × 15 mm ) that allowed the use of formic acid and acetonitrile as mobile phase. Detection limits for food and beverage matrices were established at 1.5 μg/L for chlormequat, difenzoquat and mepiquat, and 3 μg/L for diquat and paraquat, while for drinking water a pre-analytical sample concentration allowed detection limits of 9 and 20 ng/L, respectively. Precision, as repeatability (RSD%), ranged from 0.2 to 24%, with a median value of 6%, and trueness, as recovery, ranged from 64 to 118%, with a median value of 96%. The method developed was successfully applied to investigate the presence of herbicide residues in commercial commodities (mineral water, orange juice, beer, tea, green coffee bean, toasted coffee powder, cocoa bean, white corn flour, rice and sugar samples).

Sugary drink consumption and risk of cancer: results from NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort

“…Although sugar appears as a strong driver of the association, other chemical compounds might also play a role, such as 4-methylimidazole, an additive in drinks that contain caramel colouring (eg, sodas) or pesticides that might be associated with increased risk of cancer and could be present in fruit juice 1918 20 75 Regarding 100% fruit juices, one other explanation could be that fruit juice antioxidants might interact with tobacco smoke to potentialise carcinogenesis 51.…”

“…Apart from the obesity and adiposity pathways, mechanisms underlying a link between sugary drinks and cancer might involve insulin resistance caused by their high glycaemic index or glycaemic load, which have been related to breast cancer,13 14 hepatocellular cancer,15 and diabetes related carcinomas 16. The chemical compounds in sugary drinks, such as 4-methylimidazole in drinks containing caramel colourings (defined as possibly carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC),17 18 pesticides in fruit juices,19 20 or artificial sweeteners such as aspartame might play a role in carcinogenesis 21…”

Occurrence of the Plant Growth Regulator Chlormequat in Food May Be Due to Natural Formation: A Preliminary Mechanistic Study

“…Several studies in the literature report levels of 1 (and mepiquat) in the selection of processed foods. They show that 1 is detected in bread samples of different cereal compositions in the range 50–200 μg/kg ( n = 292, 41% with 1 detected) or 10–130 μg/kg ( n = 3, 100% 1 detected), as well as in orange and apple juices at 125 ng/L ( n = 5, 20% 1 detected) and 7100 ng/L ( n = 1, 100% 1 detected), respectively. 1 was also found in cereal snack bars ( n = 96, 64% 1 detected) and breakfast cereals ( n = 144, 25% 1 detected), and it was observed that products containing either oat or wheat bran did contain 1 predominantly .…”

A Prospective Study of Fruit Juice Consumption and the Risk of Overall and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality

“…These findings also give a hint that distinguishing cloudy juice from clear juice in further studies will help to better access the intrinsic effects of different types of juice. Although the nutrients appear as the main driver of the association, other chemical compounds, such as pesticides or additives in the bottled fruit juice products, might also be causal factors [ 40 , 41 ].…”