Determination of Six Neonicotinoid Insecticides Residues in Spinach, Cucumber, Apple and Pomelo by QuEChERS Method and LC–MS/MS

A modified QuEChERS and LC–MS/MS method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of residues of six neonicotinoids in various crops, including spinach, cucumber, apple and pomelo. The method showed good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.9995) and precision (RSD ≤ 14.0%). Average recoveries of the six neonicotinoids ranged between 73.7% and 103.8% at spiking levels 0.005, 0.1 and 1 mg kg−1. The LODs and LOQs were in the ranges of 0.20–0.85 μg kg−1 and 0.66–2.84 μg kg−1, respectively. The method was satisfactorily validated for the analysis of 50 agricultural samples. Imidacloprid and imidaclothiz were detected at concentration levels ranging from 7 to 5.3 μg kg−1.

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