Multi-Residue Pesticide Analysis in Herbal
Products Using Accelerated Solvent
Extraction with a Triple Quadrupole
GC-MS/MS System
Hans-Joachim Huebschmann, Joachim Gummersbach, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Dreieich, Germany
Nicole Rueckert, Johann Kirchner, Elmar Häfner, Phytolab GmbH & Co KG, Vestenbergsgreuth, Germany
Application Note 52291
Key Words
Pesticides, Tea, Herbal products, ASE, SRM, MRM, Multi-residue analysis,
TSQ 8000 GC-MS/MS
Introduction
The residue analysis of pesticides has developed in recent
years into a comprehensive methodology for the detection
of many hundreds of potential contaminating compounds.
A multi-residue method for herbal products and teas is
faced with additional challenges from the worldwide
origin of the products and the complex matrix of the
dried materials. In the due quality control of raw
materials, the unknown or undeclared local plant
protection treatments must be taken into account with
a wide variety of potential pesticide contaminations.
Dried leaves, fruits or seeds and other herbal products of
medical use deliver highly complex extracts from the
sample preparation due to the rich content of active
ingredients, essential oils and the typical high boiling
natural polymer compounds from broken cells, leaves or
fruit skins. A thorough clean up of the extracted sample
can lead to losses of critical analytes of interest. A
complete characterization of pesticide, and other residue,
contamination is done by both LC and GC-MS/MS to cover
the complete range of functional groups.
This application report describes the
methodology used for the multi-residue
pesticide analysis of herbal products
using accelerated solvent extraction
(ASE) and gel permeation
chromatography (GPC)
sample preparation with
detection and
quantitation by the
Thermo Scientific
TSQ 8000 GC-MS/MS
system.
A routine screening method for more than 200 pesticide
compounds was applied to a wide variety of different
sample types, ranging from regular black tea or sage
leaves, to seeds like fennel and herbs of medical and
fragrance use like thyme and chamomile. The data
processing and reporting was achieved by using the
Thermo Scientific TraceFinder quantitation software suite.
The sensitivity requirement for this analysis was
determined by the regulatory background. The analysis of
pesticide residues in tea and herbal products follows the
regulations of the European Directorate General for
Health and Consumer Affairs (SANCO) for “Method
Validation and Quality Control Procedures for Pesticide
Residue Analysis in Food and Feed” [1]. The sensitivity
requirements for these products as referenced in the
Codex Alimentarius [2] result in maximum residue levels
of 0.01 mg/kg for most of the pesticide compounds.
