Determination of Over 350 Multiclass Pesticides in Jams by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-TOFMS)

In this study, a screening method was developed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-TOFMS) for multiclass pesticide analysis in jam samples. The method was based on an experimental database with retention time/accurate mass data for the 353 selected analytes. Compound identification was based on retention time and the accurate mass measurements of the protonated molecules. The limits of detection were below 10 μg kg−1 for 90 % of the studied compounds. The proposed method was successfully applied to evaluate the presence and concentration levels of over 350 multiclass pesticides in a total of 54 jam market samples collected in Spain from different companies. Results found were in compliance with the current regulations with the exception of a sample, which contained monocrotophos. Forty-one percent of the samples were found free of pesticides; 26 % of the samples contained only one pesticide while 33 % contained at least two or more pesticides.