Residue Analysis of Insecticides in Potatoes by QuEChERS-dSPE/UHPLC-PDA

Abstract

Insecticides are broadly applied in agriculture to defend crops from illnesses and pest attacks, consequently guaranteeing high production. However, their residual deposits in food products are becoming a main concern with regard to human consumption. As such, sensitive analytical methods should be developed to assess, prevent and control insecticide residues. In this research, an accurate, fast and reliable residual analytical method, that is quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe, combined with dispersive solid phase extraction (QuEChERS-dSPE), was developed for the determination of the most common insecticides used in potatoes cultivation (chlorpyrifos, λ-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin and acrinathrin), using an ultra-high performance chromatography photodiode array detector (UHPLC-PDA). The most influential extraction and instrumentation parameters that affect the method’s performance, such as extraction solvent, ratio salts, sorbents, stationary phases, gradient conditions and eluents, were assessed. Under the ideal conditions, good linearity (0.992–0.998), limits of detection (0.02–0.47 µg/kg) and quantification (0.06–1.58 µg/kg), recovery (94.1 to 112%) and precision (relative standard deviation <18%) were achieved for spiked levels between 2.5 and 50 µg/kg. The obtained results revealed that the potatoes analyzed do not represent any concern for human healthy, as the insecticide residues detected were lower than the maximum residue limits set by the European Union, Codex Alimentarius, and other organizations.

LC-MS/MS ve GC-MS ile Türkiye menşeli patateslerde insektisit kalıntılarının araştırılması ve sağlık risk değerlendirmesi

“…Today, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry are more preferred because they provide improved sensitivity and selectivity for analyzing large numbers of pesticides with a single injection (Saha et al, 2015;Balkan, 2021). These techniques have been used for the determination of various pesticide residues in potato (Thompson et al, 2011;Lee et al, 2017;Narenderan & Meyyanathan, 2019;Reis et al, 2020).…”

“…The use of the QuEChERS method has increased over the last decade due to its suitability for multiple residue analysis in various matrices (Narenderan & Meyyanathan, 2019). It is the most widely used method for detecting pesticide residues in potato (Lee et al, 2017;Reis et al, 2020;Sivaperumal et al, 2022).…”

µQuEChERS Combined with UHPLC-PDA as a State-of-the-Art Analytical Approach for Quantification of Chlorpropham in Potato

“…It consists of about 80% water, 7% carbohydrates (88% is starch), 2% protein, and negligible amounts of fat, depending on the cultivar. It is a rich source of vitamin C and a moderate source of vitamins from the B complex, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants, which prevents aging-related diseases [1,2]. The world production is led by China (20-22%), followed by India, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States [1,2].…”

“…It is a rich source of vitamin C and a moderate source of vitamins from the B complex, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants, which prevents aging-related diseases [1,2]. The world production is led by China (20-22%), followed by India, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States [1,2]. The species originated in the Andes Mountains, near Lake Titicaca, and was taken to other regions of the world by European settlers.…”

“…The species originated in the Andes Mountains, near Lake Titicaca, and was taken to other regions of the world by European settlers. It is the fourth most consumed crop in the world, surpassed only by rice, wheat and maize, and remains an essential crop in Europe, especially in eastern and northern regions [2].…”