Feasibility study for producing a carrot/potato matrix reference material for 11 selected pesticides at EU MRL level: Material processing, homogeneity and stability assessment

The feasibility study for producing a matrix reference material for selected pesticides in a carrot/potato matrix was investigated. A commercially available baby food (carrot/potato-based mash) was spiked with eleven pesticides at the respective EU maximum residue limits (MRLs), and further processed by either freeing or freeze-drying. Batches of some 150 units were produced per material type. First, the materials were assessed the relative amount of pesticide recovered after processing (ratio of pesticide concentration in the processed material to the initially spiked pesticide concentration). In addition, the materials' homogeneity (bottle to bottle variation), and the short-term (1 month) and mid-term (5 months) stability at different temperatures were assessed. For this, an in-house validated GC-EI-MS method operated in the SIM mode with a sample preparation procedure based on the QuEChERS ("quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe") principle was applied. Measurements on the frozen material provided the most promising results (smallest analyte losses during production), and also freeze-drying proved to be a suitable alternative processing technique for most of the investigated pesticides. Both the frozen and the freeze-dried material showed to be sufficiently homogeneous for the intended use, and storage at -20°c for 5 months did not reveal any detectable material degradation. The results constitute an important step towards the development of a pesticide matrix reference material.

SALDANHA Helena Margarida;  SEJEROE-OLSEN Berit;  ULBERTH Franz;  EMONS Hendrik;  ZELENY Reinhard; 

2012-07-06

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

JRC67443

0308-8146,   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC67443,   

10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.10.071,