Rapid multiplug filtration cleanup with multiple-walled carbon nanotubes and gas chromatography-triple-quadruple mass spectrometry detection for 186 pesticide residues in tomato and tomato products.

This study reports the development and validation of a novel rapid cleanup method based on multiple-walled carbon nanotubes in a packed column filtration procedure for analysis of pesticide residues followed by gas chromatography-triple-quadruple tandem mass spectrometry detection. The cleanup method was carried out by applying the streamlined procedure on a multiplug filtration cleanup column with syringes. The sorbent used for removing the interferences in the matrices is multiple-walled carbon nanotubes mixed with anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The proposed cleanup method is convenient and time-saving as it does not require any solvent evaporation, vortex, or centrifugation procedures. It was validated on 186 pesticides and 3 tomato product matrices spiked at two concentration levels of 10 and 100 μg kg(-1). Satisfactory recoveries and relative standard deviations are shown for most pesticides using the multiplug filtration cleanup method in tomato product samples. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of pesticide residues in market samples.