Separation of Multi-class Pesticide Residues from Fatty Food Matrices prior to Analysis using Gas Chromatography

Separation of pesticides and other chemical contaminants from fatty food matrices prior to subsequent steps in the analytical process remains a challenging issue, and much effort has been invested to further enhance this method. The aim of the present study was to develop a simple multi-residue method involving a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction method for the identification and quantification of 41 pesticide residues in cooked fatty food matrices, including heated soybean oil, roasted sesame, and boiled soybean using gas chromatography-micro/electron capture detector (GC-μECD). The analytes were subsequently confirmed via GC-mass spectrometry (MS). The responses of analytes were linear with excellent correlation coefficients (r²) ranging from 0.993 to 1.000 (calculated from absolute peak areas). For the majority of the tested pesticides, the mean recoveries ranged from 68.5 and 121.4% with relative standard deviations ranging from 0.4 to 18.7%. Instrument limits of detection and quantification ranged from 0.004 to 0.30 ㎍/kg and 0.0125 to 1.00 ㎍/kg, respectively. The developed method presented in this study was applied successfully to determine pesticide residue levels in cooked fatty food matrices. None of the samples contained detectable amounts of pesticide residues.