Determination of eight insecticide residues in tea using ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A method of ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) in multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) mode was developed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of eight insecticide residues in tea.The sample preparation was based on pure water soak,oscillatory-assisted acetonitrile extraction,TPT-SPE cleanup,BEH C18 column separation and UPLC-MS/MS determination.The method showed a good linearity(r>0.990) between concentrations of 0.001-0.5 mg/L,with LODs of 0.000 3-0.01 mg/kg.Following the fortified levels based on relevant national standard,the average recoveries of this method were from 61% to 107%,and the relative standard deviations(RSD,n=6) were from 0.2% to 9.9%.The method was shown to be reliable,accurate,sensitive and appropriate for the determination of eight insecticide residues in tea.