High Efficiency, Broad Scope Screening of Pesticides Using Gas Chromatography High Resolution Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

Pesticides are used globally to improve the production and yields of agricultural crops and their use is essential to ensure a sufficient global food supply. However, this widespread use of pesticides and the potential for them to remain in the final product is of significant concern to consumers and to governments whose responsibility it is to ensure a safe food supply. Consequently, legislation exists to protect consumers from exposure to contaminated foods. This legislation requires that foods are monitored for both the type and quantity of the pesticide present, with each pesticide given a maximum residue limit (MRL) in a particular sample commodity. The list of compound and sample combinations is extensive, creating a challenge for accurate and reliable routine monitoring. This application notes evaluates the performance of the Thermo Scientific™ Q Exactive™ GC hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (MS) for the accurate screening of GC-amenable pesticides.