Pesticide Analysis in Food and Beverages Application Compendium

Importance of the Topic

Pesticide residue monitoring is critical to safeguard public health and comply with ever‐stricter international regulations. As maximum residue limits (MRLs) continue to tighten, laboratories must deploy methods capable of detecting hundreds of compounds at trace levels across diverse food and beverage matrices. Advances in sample preparation, chromatographic separation, mass spectrometric detection, and data processing are essential to future‐proof laboratories, increase throughput, and reduce per‐sample cost.

Study Objectives and Overview

This compendium describes Thermo Fisher Scientific’s integrated portfolio for comprehensive pesticide analysis, covering:

• Manual and automated QuEChERS and Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) workflows
• Broad‐scope, high‐resolution Orbitrap GC-MS and high-throughput triple quadrupole GC-MS/MS methods
• Ultra-sensitive LC-MS/MS solutions
• Columns, consumables, and software optimized for contaminant workflows

Key application notes demonstrate method performance in challenging matrices such as oyster tissue, herbal products, lettuce, baby food, and complex commercial samples.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Sample Preparation: QuEChERS kits for rapid extraction and dispersive SPE cleanup; Thermo Scientific ASE systems for in-cell moisture removal and efficient extraction of organochlorine pesticides
• Chromatography: Thermo Scientific TRACE GC 1310/TRACE 1310/TRACE 1310 systems with TRACEGOLD TG-5SilMS capillary columns; Vanquish UHPLC for fast and robust separations
• Detection:
  • TSQ 8000 Evo triple quadrupole GC-MS/MS with timed-SRM for targeted and broad-scope screening of up to 600 pesticides in a single run
  • Q Exactive GC Orbitrap GC-MS providing full-scan high-resolution accurate mass (HR/AM) for discovery and non-targeted screening
  • LC-MS/MS solutions including TSQ series triple quadrupoles and Orbitrap-based platforms for hundreds of residues in one injection
• Software: TraceFinder and Chromeleon CDS for method setup, automatic MS method synchronization, batch processing, automated confirmation by ion ratios/accurate mass, and reporting

Key Results and Discussion

• ASE of organochlorines in oyster tissue achieved recoveries of 91–114% and preserved analyte integrity via in-cell moisture removal polymers.
  • QuEChERS-GC-MS/MS of baby food delivered limits of detection <1 ng/g in complex matrices with RSD ≤10% across 132 pesticides.
• Broad-scope TSQ 8000 screening of 600 pesticides in lettuce was accomplished using high-density timed-SRM, with 91% of compounds detected at <2 ng/g IDLs comparable to targeted methods.
• High-resolution GC-Orbitrap analysis demonstrated sub-ppm mass accuracy and selectivity in wheat, horse feed, and leek, enabling confident screening at or below MRLs and retrospective non-targeted discovery.
• LC-MS/MS workflows quantified 440 pesticides in baby food and 510 non-target masses in feed with robust UHPLC throughput and high-resolution confirmation. Automation of online cleanup and column switching further streamlined analysis of fruits and beverages.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Significant improvement in laboratory productivity via fast GC runs (11 min for 132 pesticides versus 40 min) and high-capacity ASE overnight extractions
• Substantial cost reduction through minimized solvent use, limited re-extraction, and universal instrument platforms for both targeted and non-targeted workflows
• Future-proofing: high-resolution Orbitrap and fast triple quadrupole technologies support evolving regulations without re‐equipping
• Comprehensive software automation reduces manual data review, enforces regulatory QC, and accelerates decision-making in food safety, environmental, and compliance laboratories

Future Trends and Applications

Next‐generation pesticide analysis will increasingly leverage high-resolution accurate-mass data for non-targeted screening, suspect screening of emerging contaminants, and metabolomics‐driven risk assessment. Integration with automated online sample preparation, real-time data processing, and artificial intelligence–driven decision support will drive further gains in sensitivity, throughput, and confidence. Multi-omics approaches combining GC-MS, LC-MS, and HR-MS data will expand capabilities for comprehensive safety and authenticity testing.

Conclusion

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s end-to-end solutions—from QuEChERS and ASE sample prep through GC-MS/MS, GC-Orbitrap, and LC-MS/MS instrumentation, to TraceFinder analysis software—offer robust, sensitive, and highly automated workflows for modern pesticide residue analysis. These platforms enable high sample throughput, excellent quantitative performance, and the flexibility to adapt to new regulatory requirements and emerging contaminants, ensuring laboratories stay ahead of the curve.

References

• European Commission Regulation 396/2005 on MRLs of pesticides in food and feed
• SANCO/12495/2011, Method Validation and Quality Control for Pesticide Residue Analysis
• AOAC Official Method 2007.01: QuEChERS Extraction of Pesticides in Foods
• Fussell R.J. et al., J. Chromatogr. A, 2007, 1247–1256
• Kellmann M. et al., J. Amer. Soc. Mass Spectrom., 2009, 1464–1476
• Thermo Scientific TSQ 8000 Pesticide Analyzer Brochure