SCIEX Triple Quad™ 3500 System Compendium Volume 1

Significance of Topic

Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become a cornerstone technique for the identification and quantitation of complex analytes at trace levels. Its unmatched selectivity and sensitivity make it critical for food safety, environmental monitoring, clinical research, and pharmaceutical QA/QC.

Objectives and Study Overview

This compendium introduces the SCIEX Triple Quad 3500 System as an affordable, entry-level LC-MS/MS platform. It presents application summaries for three routine testing challenges: detection of antibiotic residues, pesticide screening, and mycotoxin analysis in food and grain matrices.

Methodology and Instrumentation

The core instrument is the SCIEX Triple Quad 3500 System featuring Turbo V™ ion source, curved LINAC® collision cell, and eQ™ electronics for high-speed MRM acquisition. Analyst® Software manages acquisition with smart background subtraction and scheduled ionization, while MultiQuant™ Software streamlines data processing with advanced integration algorithms. Sample preparation workflows include QuEChERS extraction for antibiotics and pesticides (Phenomenex roQ kits), dilute-and-shoot for honey, and simplified SPE cleanup (Cleanert™ MC) for mycotoxins. Separation is achieved on sub-2 μm core-shell columns (biphenyl or C18) under fast gradients.

Main Results and Discussion

• Antibiotic Analysis: Simultaneous monitoring of chloramphenicol and three tetracyclines in milk, meat, shrimp, and honey. LOQs ranged from 0.05 to 0.1 ng/mL, with linearity over four orders of magnitude and CVs < 10%. Regulatory MRPL and MRL limits were met.
• Pesticide Screening: Over 400 MRMs scheduled for hundreds of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. LODs ≤ 2 ng/mL, linear dynamic range of 10 pg to 100 ng, and run times < 20 min. Matrix matched curves and scheduled MRM Pro delivered CVs < 10%.
• Mycotoxin Detection: Single-run quantitation of 26 mycotoxins in grain. LOQs of 0.5–20 ng/g, recoveries 80–120%, and R² > 0.99. A one-step SPE cleanup eliminated immunoaffinity columns and reduced hands-on time.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Cost-effective upgrade from HPLC/GC-MS with comparable ease-of-use.
• Consolidation of multiple assays into single injections increases throughput.
• Minimal sample preparation maximizes uptime and reduces labor.
• Robust software ensures data integrity and GxP compliance.

Future Trends and Opportunities

• Further automation and AI-driven data interpretation to boost throughput.
• Expansion of compound libraries to cover emerging contaminants.
• Integration with online sample prep, high-resolution MS, and multi-omics workflows.
• Continued miniaturization and cost reduction for routine lab adoption.

Conclusion

The SCIEX Triple Quad 3500 System democratizes advanced LC-MS/MS technology, delivering high sensitivity, selectivity, and speed for routine testing labs. Its combination of robust hardware, intuitive software, and streamlined workflows enables reliable, high-throughput analysis at an accessible investment level.

References

• Codex Alimentarius Commission CAC/MRL 2-2012: Maximum Residue Limits for Veterinary Drugs in Foods.
• CSN EN 15662:2008: QuEChERS method for pesticide residues in foods of plant origin.
• SANCO/12571/2013: Guidance on analytical quality control and validation for pesticide residue analysis.
• Fang M. et al., Anal. Chem. 2015, 87(21):10935–10941: Thermal degradation of small molecules.