Reliable solutions for pesticide analysis

Significance of the Topic

Accurate pesticide analysis is essential for food safety and environmental monitoring. Regulatory agencies worldwide demand ever-lower detection limits and uncompromising precision. Robust analytical platforms that handle complex matrices and trace-level quantitation support public health and regulatory compliance.

Objectives and Overview

This whitepaper outlines a comprehensive suite of analytical solutions designed to streamline pesticide analysis. Key goals include:

• Presenting the evolution and innovation in mass spectrometry instrumentation.
• Demonstrating advanced software tools for automated screening and confirmation.
• Showcasing optimized chromatographic consumables and services to maximize uptime and data quality.

Methodology and Used Instrumentation

This portfolio integrates multiple MS and separation technologies:

• Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC/MSD)
  • 5973 inert MSD with solid inert ion source for enhanced sensitivity to active compounds
  • Proprietary hyperbolic quadrupole and off-axis dynode detector achieving up to 10 000 amu/sec scan speeds
• Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
  • 7500 Series with second-generation Octopole Reaction System (ORS) to remove plasma and matrix interferences
• Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS)
  • 1100 Series LC coupled with Quadrupole, Ion Trap and high-resolution Time-of-Flight (TOF) analyzers
  • Multiple ionization sources: ESI, APCI, APPI for broad chemical coverage
• Software Tools
  • Retention Time Locking (RTL) Pesticide Library (>560 targets) for consistent retention alignment
  • Deconvolution Reporting Software (DRS) integrating RTL, AMDIS and quantitation to automate screening and reduce false positives
• Consumables and Services
  • Specialized inert GC liners, HP-5MSi columns, ZORBAX Eclipse HPLC columns
  • High-precision syringes, deactivated liners, septa and vials
  • Agilent Value Promise: guaranteed 10 years of instrument service or trade-in credit

Main Results and Discussion

• Inert ion source GC/MSD eliminated surface reactions, improving spectral integrity and library match scores.
• RTL technology delivered retention time reproducibility across days and instruments, facilitating rapid compound identification.
• DRS automated batch analysis of surface water extracts: processing time reduced from ~8 hours to ~20 minutes, detecting over 70 pesticide occurrences including 34 additional compounds.
• TOF accurate mass (<3 ppm) combined with Ion Trap MSn provided unambiguous identification of unknown residues in complex matrices such as tomato extracts.

Benefits and Practical Applications

These solutions enable laboratories to:

• Increase sample throughput and minimize downtime with familiar user interfaces and common supplies.
• Achieve ultra-trace quantitation with high sensitivity and low background noise.
• Automate data review, reducing false positives and operator time.
• Comply with stringent regulatory limits and expand screening panels as new pesticides emerge.

Future Trends and Opportunities

• Expansion of high-resolution mass spectrometry (Orbitrap, enhanced TOF) for broader non-targeted screening.
• Advanced data processing powered by machine learning to improve deconvolution and predictive retention modeling.
• Integration of multi-technique platforms (GC-ICP-MS, LC-ICP-MS) for combined elemental and molecular speciation.
• Continued growth of comprehensive spectral and retention libraries covering emerging contaminants.

Conclusion

Agilent’s integrated portfolio—from inert GC/MSD and ICP-MS to versatile LC/MS systems and software automation—provides reliable, high-performance solutions for modern pesticide analysis demands. Ongoing innovation ensures laboratories can meet today’s challenges and adapt to future regulatory and analytical requirements.