Method development, validation, and risk assessment of multiple pesticide residues of fruits in China

In this study, a muti-residue analysis method of 40 pesticides in five different categories of fruits in China was developed based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS). Five hundred real samples were analyzed and assessed for the dietary exposure risk. The sample treatment method was optimized by comparing four clean-up methods. The matrix effects of different fruits were evaluated. The analytical method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of detection ( LOD ), limit of quantification ( LOQ ), accuracy, and precision. The results showed that the optimal method was the treatment by clean up with ODS (octadecylsilane) and MgSO 4 . The matrix effect was the strongest in orange and weakest in apple. The LOD and LOQ of pesticides were 0.04–5.9 μg kg −1 and 0.13–19.5 μg kg −1 , respectively. The recoveries at three spiked levels were ranged from 71.2 to 115.2% with the RSD s from 0.1 to 19.6%. Twenty-two pesticides were detected in 500 fruit samples from the major production regions of China, with concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1930 μg kg −1 . A total of 13, 10, 9, 8, and 4 pesticides were detected in peach, orange, grape, apple, and strawberry. Both the acceptable daily intake (ADI) and acute reference dose ( ARfD ) for all the detected pesticides were lower than 100%, indicating that the dietary intake risks are acceptable and would not pose potential health risks.