Potential applicability of MALDI-MS for low-molecular-weight pesticide determination.

The application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) for pesticide analysis was demonstrated. Fifteen pesticides were chosen as the model pesticides and twenty-six MALDI matrices were screened for the most suitable matrix. Under the optimized conditions, the obtained limits of detections were lower than the maximum residue limit values stated with 12 pesticides out of 15 tested. The proposed methodology showed a good analytical performance in terms of rapid, good sensitivity and high throughput of the method as an alternative method for pesticide residues evaluation.