QuEChERS Sample Preparation for GC/MS Determination of Organophosphorous Pesticides in Beef

Maximum reside limits (MRLs) are in place for many pesticides in animal products, therefore necessitating the determination of pesticide residues in these matrices. This application note demonstrates the suitability of QuEChERS as a methodology for determining organophosphorous pesticides in beef muscle tissue.This rapid method was developed for the analysis of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, prior to GC/MS or LC/MS and allows 30 samples to be prepared in 1 hour. Using the DisQuE pouch (QuEChERS) on ground beef with an 80% water content demonstrated that this method can effectively remove pesticides from beef with consistent recoveries ranging from 75% to 100%. The results indicate that QuEChERS extraction and subsequent dispersive SPE cleanup steps provide analysts with a fast preparation method using less toxic reagents, and with similar detection limits compared with other methods.