Abstract:

As among the most widely used pesticides in agriculture, plant growth regulators (PGRs) have a positive influence on plants. However, the overuse of PGRs may induce toxicity in food and even be hazardous to human health. Numerous studies have investigated the presence and residues of PGRs on vegetables and fruits. Animal-derived foods are one of the most dominant food sources providing nutrients to fulfil the daily dietary intake, and could also be potentially contaminated by PGRs. However, there is little information on PGR residues in animal-derived foods. Standardization also lacks among the techniques for PGR determination in animal-derived foods, thereby restricting the further establishment of pesticide usage and food safety regulations. Therefore, in this study, a rapid and effective method for analyzing chlormequat chloride, thidiazuron, and paclobutrazol in animal-derived food samples was established. The method primarily involves high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry combined with the use of isotope-labeled internal standards. The extraction and clean-up procedures were based on the QuEChERS method. The analytes were extracted from pork, beef, chicken, pork liver, egg, and milk samples using acetonitrile, followed by 4 g anhydrous magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄), and 1 g sodium chloride (NaCl). The supernatant was removed using a mixture of 50 mg N-propyl ethylenediamine (PSA), 50 mg octadecyl silane (C18), and 150 mg MgSO₄, and then passed through a 0.22 μm membrane filter before determination. The Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 column (150 mm×3.0 mm, 1.8 μm) was used to separate the analytes under a gradient elution program, with acetonitrile and 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate solution as mobile phases. The analytes were detected by mass spectrometry using the positive and negative electrospray ionization modes under the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Matrix-matched calibration combined with internal standards was used to quantify the PGRs. The linear regression correlation coefficients (r²) for the PGRs were all greater than 0.990 in the corresponding linear concentration ranges. Chlormequat chloride, thidiazuron, and paclobutrazol showed good linearities in the range of 0.1-100 μg/L for the egg and pork liver samples and 0.1-50 μg/L for the pork, beef, and chicken samples. For the milk samples, thidiazuron and paclobutrazol showed good linearities in the range of 0.05-10 μg/L, while chlormequat chloride showed linearity in the range of 0.05-5 μg/L. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for each PGR were based on the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios. Under optimal conditions, the LODs ranged from 0.01 μg/kg to 0.1 μg/kg, where the LOD was defined as the amount of the tested compound that generated an S/N ratio higher than 3. In addition, the LOQs were in the range of 0.5-5 μg/kg, with an S/N ratio higher than 10. The precision and accuracy were evaluated by recovery experiments. At the LOQ, twice the LOQ, and 10 times the LOQ, the mean recoveries were in the range of 70.0%-117.4%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 0.8% to 16.1%. The results indicated that the proposed method is accurate and reliable. This method is a modification of the QuEChERS method, and is advantageous owing to its simplicity and high sensitivity. The use of matrix-matching calibration curves and internal standards can eliminate matrix interference, thereby increasing the accuracy of the method. This method satisfies the testing requirements for chlormequat chloride, thidiazuron, and paclobutrazol residues in animal-derived foods, and is promising for the determination of other PGRs or other types of pesticides in animal-derived foods.

Key words: high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), QuEChERS, plant growth regulators, chlormequat chloride, thidiazuron, paclobutrazol, animal derived foods