This application note describes the application of ion trap LC/MS/MS to determine pesticide and herbicide contamination in food samples. This method uses ion trap LC/MS/MS to confirm, identify and quantify low levels of carbaryl in foods. This is mainly due to the high sensitivity and specificity of MS/MS with the ion trap.
The document details an analytical method developed to determine the presence of the carbamate pesticide carbaryl in composite food extracts. The study addresses limitations of previous fluorescence techniques, such as false positives and insufficient sensitivity, by utilizing LC/MS/MS with ion trap technology for absolute confirmation and quantification.
Experimental procedures involved a nine-step extraction scheme using acid precipitation, Soxhlet extraction, and cleanup via GPC. The method achieved a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 ng/g and a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 10 ng/g in food matrices, demonstrating significantly higher sensitivity compared to HPLC fluorescence methods.
The limit of detection in the food matrix was found to be 1 ng/g.
The limit of quantitation used for the determination in food was 10 ng/g.
The calibration curve based on the m/z 145 product ion is linear over the concentration range of 1-1000 ng/g.