Determination of 77 Multiclass Pesticides and Their Metabolitesin Capsicum and Tomato Using GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS

Abstract

A quick, sensitive, and reproducible analytical method for the determination of 77 multiclass pesticides and their metabolites in Capsicum and tomato by gas and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was standardized and validated. The limit of detection of 0.19 to 10.91 and limit of quantification of 0.63 to 36.34 µg·kg−1 for Capsicum and 0.10 to 9.55 µg·kg−1 (LOD) and 0.35 to 33.43 µg·kg−1 (LOQ) for tomato. The method involves extraction of sample with acetonitrile, purification by dispersive solid phase extraction using primary secondary amine and graphitized carbon black. The recoveries of all pesticides were in the range of 75 to 110% with a relative standard deviation of less than 20%. Similarly, the method precision was evaluated interms of repeatability (RSDr) and reproducibility (RSDwR) by spiking of mixed pesticides standards at 100 µg·kg−1 recorded anRSD of less than 20%. The matrix effect was acceptable and no significant variation was observed in both the matrices except for few pesticides. The estimated measurement uncertainty found acceptable for all the pesticides. This method found suitable for analysis of vegetable samples drawn from market and farm gates.