Simultaneous determination of pesticides and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in honey by the modified QuEChERS method and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

Nowadays, bee products are being produced in an environment polluted by different sources of contamination, such as pesticides, which can be transported by honey bees to the hive and incorporated into honey. In addition, the increasing consumption of honey has demanded efficient quality control for this product. In this study, the determination of the pesticides fipronil, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, dimethoate, carbendazin, tebuconazole, amitraz, τ-fluvalinate and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) which are used as indicators of honey quality, was carried out simultaneously. For the sample preparation, the optimized QuEChERS method was used and the determinations were done by LC-APCI-MS/MS. The LOQs of the method ranged between 0.005 and 1.0mgkg−1. For the recovery calculations and method evaluation a working curve was drawn. All the analytical curves showed r values higher than 0.99. The recoveries ranged between 70% and 112%, with RSD lower than 20% for all compounds. The matrix effect was evaluated, and most of the compounds showed signal enrichment. The applicability of the method for honey from different flowers was verified, and the method showed robustness and recoveries in the range 70–120% established for all compounds in samples belonging to different blossoms. HMF was detected in all samples, with concentrations ranging between 4.6 and 51.7mgkg−1; it was below the maximum concentration allowed by the legislation. ► A method for determination of pesticides and HMF in honey was developed. ► Satisfactory precision and accuracy were achieved. ► Matrix effect was evaluated for honey samples from different flowers. ► 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was detected in all samples. ► The developed method was fast, easy and robust.