Yang C, Wang L, Ghosh D.
Application Note 579
Monitoring for pesticide and other chemical residues in produce is essential to maintaining a safe food supply. Monitoring data can also be used to better understand the relationship of pesticide residues to agriculture practices, enhance integrated pest management, and support the export of U.S. commodities. Monitoring is typically done by public agencies, but budget restrictions have increased pressure on these agencies to improve productivity while lowering costs.
Traditionally, triple quadrupole mass spectrometers have been used for the identification and quantitation of pesticide and chemical residues. However, MS/MS analysis with triple quadrupole mass spectrometers requires time-consuming selection of mass transitions and optimization of collision energies. The introduction of affordable benchtop, Orbitrap™-based, high-resolution, accurate-mass (HR/AM) mass spectrometers has provided an alternative method for unequivocal identification of trace contaminants without time-consuming MS/MS optimization.
A liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry methodology employing ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and HR/AM mass spectrometry makes it possible to identify, quantify, and confirm more trace-level contaminants in complex mixtures in a single analytical run. The results of this unique solution are improved sensitivity and precision, as well as unmatched throughput.
Thermo Fisher Scientific
United States
