Solid-phase microextraction in pesticide residue analysis

The applications of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) for sample preparation in pesticide residue analysis are reviewed in this paper taking into account the different approaches of this technique coupled mainly to gas chromatography but also to high-performance liquid chromatography. A complete revision of the existing literature has been made considering the different applications divided according to the pesticide families (organochlorine, organophosphorus, triazines, thiocarbamates, substituted uracils, urea derivatives and dinitroanilines among others) and the sample matrices analysed which included environmental samples (water and soil), food samples and biological fluids. Details on the analytical characteristics of the procedures described in the reviewed papers are given, and new trends in the applications of SPME in this field are discussed.