Determination of 53 pesticide residues in poultry eggs by modified QuEChERS coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, an analytical method for the determination of 53 pesticide residues in poultry eggs was established using modified QuEChERS sample preparation and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The pesticide residues in samples were extracted by ethyl acetate, cleaned-up with florisil and diatomite, and analyzed by GC-MS/MS. HP-5MS column was used for the separation, and the electron bombardment ion source (EI) was employed using dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (dMRM) mode for the detection. The matrix matched external standard calibration curves were used for quantitative analysis. The results indicated that the instrument limit of detection (LOD) for 53 pesticides were 0.000 25-0.005 mg/L, and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.000 5-0.01 mg/kg for the method. The correlation coefficient (r) of the calibration curves for the compounds were 0.996 7-1. The average recoveries of 53 pesticides in hen’s eggs at three spiked levels (LOQ, 2LOQ and 10LOQ) were 76%-104% (n = 6) with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.090%-14%. The method was rapid, sensitive and accurate, and has a good application prospect in the detection of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues in various poultry eggs.