Comprehensive Quantitation and Identification of Pesticides in Food Samples Using the New Eksigent ekspert™ ultraLC 100 and the New AB SCIEX QTRAP® 4500 System

Liquid Chromatography coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is a widely used analytical tool for the screening of food residues and contaminants. Here we present a new method using QuEChERS extraction, separation using the new Eksigent ekspert™ ultraLC 100 system with a Phenomenex Synergi™ 2.5u Fusion-RP column, and the new AB SCIEX QTRAP® 4500 system. The mass spectrometer was operated in highly selective and sensitive Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode. The Scheduled MRM™ algorithm was used to obtain the best data quality and combined with fast polarity switching to cover the broadest range of pesticides possible. In addition, MS/MS spectra were acquired to enable compound identification with highest confidence based on mass spectral library matching.