Determination of 125 pesticide residues in chili using a rapid multiplug filtration cleanup method with UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS.

Abstract

Multiple pesticides are often used in pepper cultivation, and detecting their residues is very important to ensure food safety. In this study, a convenient and sensitive method of ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous determination of 125 pesticide residues in fresh red chili, fresh green chili, and dried chili. A multiplug filtration cleanup purification column was developed using Envi-carb and C18 as purification agents and effectively removed matrix components. The results showed that the limits of quantification were <0.009 mg/kg for fresh chili and <0.045 mg/kg for dried chili. The recoveries were in the range of 70.7%-117.0% with relative standard deviations of less than 10%. The matrix effect values ranged from -28.9% to 13.9%. The proposed method is simple to operate, delivers excellent purification results, and provides an effective tool for the detection of multiple pesticide residues in chili industry.