Comparison of Sin-QuEChERS nano and d-SPE methods for pesticide multi-residues in lettuce and Chinese chives

Abstract

In this study, a new rapid cleanup method was developed for the analysis of 111 pesticide multi-residues in lettuce and Chinese chives by GC–MS/MS and LC–MS/MS. QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe)-based sample extraction was used to obtain the extracts, and the cleanup procedure was carried out using a Sin-QuEChERS nano cartridge. Comparison of the cleanup effects, limits of quantification and limits of detection, recoveries, precision and matrix effects (MEs) between the Sin-QuEChERS nano method and the classical dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) method were performed. When spiked at 10 and 100 µg/kg, the number of pesticides with recoveries between 90% to 110% and relative standard deviations < 15% were greater when using the Sin-QuEChERS nano method. The MEs of Sin-QuEChERS nano and d-SPE methods ranged between 0.72 to 3.41 and 0.63 to 3.56, respectively. The results verified that the Sin-QuEChERS nano method was significantly more effective at removing pigments and more convenient than the d-SPE method. The developed method with the Sin-QuEChERS nano cleanup procedure was applied successfully to determine pesticide residues in market samples.