Quantification of up to 764 Pesticide Residues in Tomato According to SANTE 11312/2021 Guidelines

Importance of the Topic

Pesticide residue monitoring in food is critical to safeguard public health and meet regulatory limits. Rapid and reliable detection of hundreds of compounds at trace levels addresses challenges in agricultural quality control and consumer safety.

Objectives and Study Overview

This work aimed to develop a single LC/Q-TOF workflow for quantitative analysis of up to 764 pesticide residues in tomato following SANTE 11312/2021 guidelines. A comprehensive accurate-mass database was created and a 20-minute chromatographic runtime was implemented to streamline routine laboratory testing.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The analytical procedure includes:

• Sample preparation by QuEChERS extraction using the Agilent Bond Elut QuEChERS EN kit
• Chromatographic separation on an Agilent 1290 Infinity II LC with a ZORBAX RRHD Eclipse Plus C18 column and a 20-minute gradient
• Detection with an Agilent 6546 LC/Q-TOF operated in All Ions mode at four collision energies
• Data acquisition and processing in Agilent MassHunter software
• Matrix-matched calibration standards spanning 0.5 to 100 µg/L and internal standard correction

Main Results and Discussion

Linearity: 91% of compounds showed R2 ≥0.99 over nine calibration levels. Instrument LOD: 91% of targets achieved S/N ≥10 at 10 µg/L, and 70% at 1 µg/L. Matrix effects were below ±20% for 55% of analytes; remaining compounds were compensated by matrix-matched calibration. Precision: 93% of compounds had RSDr ≤20% at 10 µg/kg. Mean recoveries for 96% of targets fell within 40–120% across six replicates. The workflow demonstrated consistent quantitation in tomato QuEChERS extracts.

Practical Benefits and Applications

This streamlined LC/Q-TOF method enables high-throughput screening and quantitation of hundreds of pesticides in a single run. It reduces analysis time, simplifies method management with an All Ions database, and supports regulatory compliance in food safety laboratories.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Integration of suspect and non-target screening using accurate-mass databases will expand coverage beyond predefined targets. Automation of sample preparation and data review tools like LC Screener will further accelerate pesticide monitoring workflows. Adaptation to other crop types and matrices will broaden the method’s utility.

Conclusion

The developed Agilent LC/Q-TOF workflow provides a rapid, sensitive, and reproducible solution for quantifying up to 764 pesticide residues in tomato. It meets SANTE 11312/2021 performance criteria and supports efficient routine food testing.

References

• SANTE 11312/2021 Analytical Quality Control and Method Validation Procedures for Pesticide Residues Analysis in Food and Feed
• Quantitation of 764 Pesticide Residues in Tomato According to SANTE 11312/2021 Guidelines Using the Agilent 6470 Triple Quadrupole LC MS System Agilent application note publication number 5994 5847EN 2023