A modified sample preparation strategy combined with UHPLC-MS/MS for simultaneous determination of 147 pesticides and related compounds in vegetables and fruits

In this study, a modified approach was described for a simultaneous determination of 147 pesticides and related compounds in vegetables and fruits using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. The environmentally friendly sample preparation approach consisted of simultaneous extraction of 147 targets with a low dose (2 mL) of ethanol and purification by solid phase extraction. The validation results demonstrated a good linear relationship within the range of 0.002-1 mg/L with a coefficient of determination (R² > 0.99), high sensitivity (0.2-1.0 μg/L for limits of quantification, 0.067-0.33 μg/L for limits of detection and 0.002 mg/kg for method limits of quantification), excellent recoveries (70-119 %), and good precision (RSDs≤19 %). Finally, method comparison and a survey of 54 field samples confirmed that the proposed method was simple, environmentally friendly, and suitable for pesticide multi-residue analysis, which was a good supplement for multi-residue analytical method.