Rapid determination of 39 pesticide residues in ginseng products by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, a method for rapid determination of 39 pesticide residues was developed and validated in four ginseng products (honey ginseng slices, ginseng decoction, ginseng energy drink and ginseng wine). Samples were extracted by QuEChERS method, cleaned-up by magnetic zirconia (Fe₃O₄-ZrO₂), and quantified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-MS/MS) with external standard method. The results showed that 39 pesticides had good linearity in the range of 0.005-0.1 mg/L (r > 0.99). The average recoveries of all analytes in the four ginseng products were 72%-117%, and the relative standard deviations (RSD) were lower than 18%. The limits of quantification (LOQ) of 39 pesticides were 0.01 mg/kg. None of the 39 pesticides was detected in the real samples of the four ginseng products.