Reduction of analysis time in gas chromatography: Application of low-pressure gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry to the determination of pesticide residues in vegetables

An alternative to conventional capillary gas chromatography (GC) is evaluated as a new approach to determine pesticide residues in vegetables. Low-pressure gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LP-GC–MS–MS) is proposed after a fast and simple extraction of the vegetable samples with dichloromethane and without clean up. The use of the above-mentioned GC technique reduced the total time required to determine 72 pesticides to less than half the present time (31 min), increasing the capability of a monitoring routine laboratory. The use of guard column and plug of carbofrit into the glass liner in combination with LP-GC was evaluated. The method was validated with limits of quantitation low enough to determine the pesticide residues at concentrations below the maximum residue levels stated by legislation. In order to assess its applicability to the analysis of real samples, 25 vegetable samples previously determined using conventional-capillary GC–MS–MS were analysed by LP-GC–MS–MS. The results obtained with the compared techniques showed differences lower than 0.01 mg kg−1.