title: Multi-residue determination of plant growth regulators in apples and tomatoes by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.
abstract: A sensitive and rapid multi-residue analytical method for plant growth regulators (PGRs) (i.e., chlormequat, mepiquat, paclobutrazol, uniconazole, ethephon and flumetralin) in apples and tomatoes was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS). A homogenised sample was extracted with a mixture of methanol/water (90:10, v/v) and adjusted to pH <3 with formic acid. Primary secondary amine (PSA) adsorbent was used to clean up the sample. The determination was performed using electrospray ionisation (ESI) and a triple quadrupole (QqQ) analyser. Under the optimised method, the results showed that, except for ethephon, the recoveries were 81.8-98.1% in apples and tomatoes at the spiked concentrations of 0.005 to 2 mg/kg, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 11.7%. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were lower than their maximum residue limits (MRLs). The procedure was concluded as a practical method to determine the PGR residues in fruit and vegetables and is also suitable for the simultaneous analysis of the amounts of samples for routine monitoring. The analytical method described herein demonstrates a strong potential for its application in the field of PGR multi-residue analysis to help assure food safety.
authors: College of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China.
authors: Jiaying
authors: J
authors: Xue
authors: Suli
authors: S
authors: Wang
authors: Xiangwei
authors: X
authors: You
authors: Jiannan
authors: J
authors: Dong
authors: Lijun
authors: L
authors: Han
authors: Fengmao
authors: F
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000737:chemistry*; D027845:Malus / Q000737:chemistry*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D010937:Plant Growth Regulators