Sensitive method for the determination of Fipronil and its metabolite Fipronil Sulfone in egg using QuEChERS sample pretreatment and LC-MS/MS detection[LCMS-8060]

Introduction

Fipronil concerns a broad-spectrum insecticide from the group of phenylpyrazoles used in many countries as a biocide and plant protection product against fleas, lice, ticks, cockroaches, mites and other insects. Fipronil is an active compound in veterinary products fighting tick and flea infestations in dogs and cats. The use as plant protection product is restricted to seed treatment in the European Union since 2007. However, due to the illegal use as addition to the cleaning supplies used in chicken coops the eggs and meat might get contaminated as well. The MRL (maximum residue levels) for Fipronil and and its metabolite Fipronil sulfone (which is classified as having similar toxicity) in eggs is set to 0.005 mg/kg by the EU (by definition the sum of fipronil and fipronil-sulfone expressed as fipronil) [1], so that there is an actual requirement for the determination of both compounds in egg matrix at a relatively low level. This application news presents a simple method using a standard QuEChERS extraction protocol followed by LC-MS/MS detection.

November 2, 2017 GMT