Simultaneous Analysis of Residual Pesticides in Food UsingCompound Composer Software

Introduction

GC/MS enables highly reliable identification of individual substances in complex mixtures. Because of the specificity of the MS, the GC/MS offers superior separation power in comparison with GC equipped with less specific detectors. As a result, GC/MS is utilized for simultaneous analysis of many components, primarily for environmental and food applications. However, conventional measurement requires the confirmation of retention times using standard samples as well as the creation of calibration curves. Problems with the conventional approach are the long times needed for the preparation of standard samples, and the inability to conduct measurements if standard samples are unavailable. Nonetheless, rapid and convenient measurement of many components in a single analysis is important in many situations in order to confirm the degree of contamination by various environmental substances, and to investigate the causes of chemical-related incidents. To respond to these needs, Shimadzu, in cooperation with Kitakyushu City Institute of Environmental Sciences, has developed a database for simultaneous analysis of numerous analytes, which is especially geared to environmental applications. As shown in Table1, a number of parameters needed for quantitative analysis are registered in this database, covering a total of 583 toxic substances, including agricultural chemicals. Parameters include compound names, mass spectra, target masses, calibration curves (multi-point internal standards method), and retention times which can be conveniently updated by comparison with those of n-alkanes. The compounds required for analysis can be selected from the database to create a method file (for GCMS- QP2010). Preparation of standard solutions is not required, and semi-quantitative results can be obtained even for non-ideal target compounds.

April 27, 2006 GMT