The Complete Solution for Pesticide Analysis using SFC-MS/MS

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Introduction

In the past decade, pesticide use in the EU has remained more or less stable at around 468,000 tons per year,(1) and there are many different types to look out for. The European Commission has proposed rules to halve the use of pesticides in the EU by 2030, in line with the Farm to Fork Strategy.

Pesticides are a large variety of substances with multiple residues belonging to multiple classes. This makes the analysis a challenging task. Depending on characteristics such as polarity, volatility, thermal stability, and ionization efficiency, the correct type of instrument has to be selected. The analysis may require either liquid chromatography or SFC tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS or SFC-MS/MS) or gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). These triple quadrupole mass spectrometers are the most widely used in pesticide screening due to their fast acquisition speed in selected reaction monitoring (SRM), allowing the screening of hundreds of pesticides simultaneously in one run with high sensitivity, selectivity, and a wide linear range.

Pesticide analysis using SFC-MS/MS

Accurate detection of pesticides is critical to ensure consumer safety and subsequently the success of food producers. Providing peace of mind, Shimadzu’s SFC-MS/MS solution for pesticide analysis delivers the robustness and high sensitivity needed to generate accurate, high-quality data for complex samples, meeting all requirements of DG SANTE/11813/2017 and the latest update DG SANTE/11312/2021 (V2), implemented since January 2024. The European Union Reference Laboratories (EURLs) are the authorities for pesticide residue analyses. Four specialized EURLs are in place all over the continent. The EURL for Residues of Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables is located in Almeria, Spain (EURL-FV) and has been using an SFC-MS pesticide analysis package including hardware (SFC, LCMS-8060NX, separation column), software, and methods for system control and data handling as well as the QuEChERS sample preparation. The Nexera UC SFC system with the TQ-MS.



LCMS-8060 is the ideal tool for quantitative applications, requiring the highest sensitivity and robustness and delivering reliable data for routine food analyses. SFC-MS/MS can be used to separate numerous pesticides with different polarities, and it also achieves a marked increase in sensitivity for many compounds. Combining the versatility of SFC with the specificity and sensitivity of MS detection is an appealing alternative to the conventional LC-MS/MS approach. The latest addition to the Shimadzu LC-MS product line is the RX series, which expands the capability and productivity of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with a performance that can be relied upon. The RX series has been designed to generate a highly focused ion beam from the ion source to the detector, bringing together advanced ion guide and collision cell technologies. This is the perfect setup for pesticide analysis, showing several advantages of SFC-MS versus LC-MS such as the increased sensitivity which allows for lower limits of detection, faster analysis, and better retention of some polar analytes that are difficult to quantify using LC-MS.


Figure 1. SFC-MS/MS system: Nexera UC with LCMS-8060NX

Conclusion

The Shimadzu SFC-MS/MS solution is a reliable, robust, beneficial alternative to a standard LC-MS system configuration for the challenges in food safety analysis, as it offers fast analysis, high sensitivity and little matrix effects and is applicable to a wide range of analytes, including also chiral separations. The use of SFC is similar to that of HP-LC in terms of complexity of instruments and method development. SFC-MS and LC-MS are complementary techniques due to the differences in separation patterns as well as detection sensitivity. Last, but not least, SFC is a typical example of green analytical chemistry in comparison to classical HP-LC as CO2 is nontoxic and safe to use, and solvent consumption is significantly reduced.

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