Determination of pesticides and their metabolites in processed cereal samples

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2012, Vol.29 (1), p.104-116
• Main Authors: González-Curbelo, M.Á, Hernández-Borges, J, Borges-Miquel, T.M, Rodríguez-Delgado, M.Á
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; cadusafos; Calibration; Cereal and baking product industries; Cereals; cereals and grain; chlorpyrifos; chlorpyrifos-methyl; Chromatography, Gas; corn; detection limit; dimethoate; disulfoton; disulfoton sulfone; disulfoton sulfoxide; Edible Grain - chemistry; ethoprophos; experimental design; extraction; fenitrothion; fensulfothion; Food contamination & poisoning; Food engineering; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gas chromatography; GC/MS; General aspects; in-house validation; Limit of Detection; Lipids; malaoxon; malathion; maximum residue limits; Metabolites; nitrogen; pesticide residues; Pesticides; Pesticides - analysis; phosphorus; pirimiphos-methyl; processed foods; Reproducibility of Results; solid phase extraction; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; tandem mass spectrometry; terbufos; Triticum aestivum; wheat; wheat flour; Zea mays
• ISSN: 1944-0057; 1944-0049; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2011.615032

Fifteen pesticides including some of their metabolites (disulfoton sulfoxide, ethoprophos, cadusafos, dimethoate, terbufos, disulfoton, chlorpyrifos-methyl, malaoxon, fenitrothion, pirimiphos-methyl, malathion, chlorpyrifos, terbufos sulfone, disulfoton sulfone and fensulfothion) were analysed in milled toasted wheat and maize as well as in wheat flour and baby cereals. The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) methodology was used and its dispersive solid-phase extraction procedure was optimised by means of an experimental design with the aim of reducing the amount of co-extracted lipids and obtaining a clean extract. Gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection were used as the separation and detection techniques, respectively. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, recoveries, calibration, precision and accuracy as well as matrix effects. Limits of detection were between 0.07 and 34.8 µg kg⁻¹ with recoveries in the range of 71–110% (relative standard deviations were below 9%). A total of 40 samples of different origin were analysed. Residues of pirimiphos-methyl were found in six of the samples at concentrations in the range 0.08–0.47 mg kg⁻¹, which were below the MRLs established for this pesticide in cereal grains. Tandem mass spectrometry confirmation was also carried out in order to identify unequivocally the presence of this pesticide.