Multiresidue method for determination of pesticides in papaya using modified QuEChERS and UHPLC-MS/MS

Papaya is the fourth most consumed fruit in Brazil and the third most exported fruit by the country. Considering that pesticides are frequently used in agriculture to increase production this work aimed to establish a method for the multiresidue determination of pesticides in papaya using the QuEChERS method and analysis by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The parameters that influence the extraction efficiency were studied and, after finding the best extraction conditions, the method was validated. The analysis by UHPLC-MS/MS allowed the determination of analytes with high selectivity and detectability. The main modification of the original QuEChERS method was the use of the polymeric sorbent Strata SDB-L in the clean-up step by dispersive solid-phase extraction. The method was validated for 110 compounds and presented adequate values of accuracy, with recoveries between 70 and 120%, and precision, with RSD<20%. The method limits of quantification ranged from 5 to 10 mu g kg(-1) and detection limits from 1.5 to 3 mu g kg(-1). The validated method was used for the determination of pesticides in commercial papaya samples, and 17 pesticides of different classes were found, including 5 pesticides not authorised in Brazil for papaya. Considering the results obtained, the use of the proposed method proved to be fast and efficient for the multiresidue determination of pesticides in papaya in routine analysis.