Simultaneous Detection of 38 Fungicides Residues in Eggs by Multi-Plug Filtration Cleanup with Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

This research demonstrated a method for simultaneous determination of 38 fungicides residues in eggs based on multi-plug filtration cleanup (m-PFC) method combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatoid-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). After mixing with water, samples were extracted with acetonitrile (acetic acid). QuEChERS salt packs were used to separate the organic and aqueous phases of the sample. The upper fraction was purified on an m-PFC column before analysis by LC-MS/MS, the samples were then analyzed using multi-reaction monitoring (MRM) method and quantified using the matrix-matched external standard method. The results showed a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01~0.2 µg/kg and the limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.02~0.7 µg/kg, meeting the maximum residue limit requirements specified in the national standard GB 2763-2021. The correlation coefficient (R2) of 38 fungicides was higher than 0.9912 in the concentration range of 0.001~0.50 μg/mL. The recoveries at three concentration levels (10, 50 and 200 µg/kg) were in the range of 72.7%~113.5%, with the relative standard deviation (RSD, n=6) of 0.40%~10%. Thus, the method is proved to be rapid and accurate for monitoring pesticide residues in eggs, which also provides a reference for the formulation of maximum residue limits of pesticides in eggs.

Keywords

• egg
• multi-plug filtration cleanup (m-pfc)
• ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
• fungicide pesticides