Development of the Simultaneous Analysis of 36 Sulfonylurea Herbicide Residues in Agricultural Products Using LC-MS/MS

Abstract

Sulfonylurea herbicides are widely used in agriculture because they have a long residual period and high selectivity. An analytical method was developed using QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) technique for simultaneous determination of sulfonylurea herbicide residues in agricultural products by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and for establishment MRL (Maximum Residue Limit) of those herbicides in Korea. Extraction was performed using acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid with MgSO4 (anhydrous magnesium sulfate) and NaCl (so-dium chloride) and the extract was cleaned up using MgSO4 and C18 (octadecyl). The matrix-matched cali-bration curves were composed of 7 concentration levels from 0.001 to 0.25 mg/kg and their coefficients of determination (R2) exceeded 0.99. The recoveries of three spiking levels (LOQ, 10LOQ, 50LOQ, n=5) were in the range of 71.7-114.9% with relative standard deviations of less than 20.0% for all the five agriculture products. All validation values met criteria of the European Union SANTE/11312/2021 guidelines and Food and Drug Safety Evaluation guidelines. Therefore, the proposed analytical method was accurate, effective, and sensitive for sulfonylurea herbicide residues determination in agricultural commodities.