Recent Modifications and Validation of QuEChERS-dSPE Coupled to LC–MS and GC–MS Instruments for Determination of Pesticide/Agrochemical Residues in Fruits and Vegetables: Review

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables constitute a major type of food consumed daily apart from whole grains. Unfortunately, the residual deposits of pesticides in these products are becoming a major health concern for human consumption. Consequently, the outcome of the long-term accumulation of pesticide residues has posed many health issues to both humans and animals in the environment. However, the residues have previously been determined using conventionally known techniques, which include liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction (SPE) and the recently used liquid-phase microextraction techniques. Despite the positive technological effects of these methods, their limitations include; time-consuming, operational difficulty, use of toxic organic solvents, low selective property and expensive extraction setups, with shorter lifespan of instrumental performances. Thus, the potential and maximum use of these methods for pesticides residue determination has resulted in the urgent need for better techniques that will overcome the highlighted drawbacks. Alternatively, attention has been drawn recently towards the use of quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe technique (QuEChERS) coupled with dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) to overcome the setback challenges experienced by the previous technologies. Conclusively, the reviewed QuEChERS-dSPE techniques and the recent cleanup modifications justifiably prove to be reliable for routine determination and monitoring the concentration levels of pesticide residues using advanced instruments such as high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Novi materijali i tehnologije u kontroli zaštite životne sredine i zdravlja čoveka

“…Ekstrakcija čvrstom fazom (SPE) je trenutno najpopularnija ekstrakciona tehnika prečišćavanja, popularno nazvana QuEChERS ekstrakciona metoda. Mnogi objavljeni radovi za određivanje pesticida svežeg voća, povrća i njihovim proizvodima koriste kao metodu kombinaciju dve ili više komercijalno dostupnih SPE kolone za prečišćavanje (Lawal et al, 2018). Tečno-čvrsta ekstrakcija je tehnika razvijena iz tečno-tečne ekstrakcije koja koristi različite vrste sorbent materijala, velike količine rastvarača i poroznog uljenika.…”

Mass Spectrometry-Based Determination of Thyroid Hormones and Their Metabolites in Endocrine Diagnostics and Biomedical Research – Implications for Human Serum Diagnostics

“…Extraction steps, also involve chaotropic agents, various detergents, and recently, a quite popular methodology developed for trace analysis in environmental samples, contaminants of organic origin, and side products. This extraction method, commonly in use for pesticides in food analysis -QuEChERS [47,48] ("Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe") involves liquid extraction in the presence of high salt concentrations and aqueous organic (usually acetonitrile) mixtures, separation of the organic phase followed by dispersive SPE. For THMs in human serum samples this methodology has proved unsuccessful in our hands.…”

Integrated Approach to Evaluate the Association between Exposure to Pesticides and Idiopathic Premature Thelarche in Girls: The PEACH Project

“…The monitoring of pesticide residues in food by multiresidue analysis procedures is nowadays a primary objective in pesticide detection in order to extensively evaluate food quality and dietary human exposure [22]. Despite the difficulty to develop a multiresidue methods because of different polarity, solubility and volatility of compounds, in recent years, the QuEChERS extraction technique and mass spectrometry have made relevant progress in pesticide analysis being very accurate, rapid, sensitive and selective techniques for multiresidue determination [23].…”