High Throughput Analysis of N‐Methyl Carbamate Pesticides in Cereals and Beans by Dual Countercurrent Chromatography and Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

We developed a new analytical method for analysis of N‐methyl carbamate pesticides in cereals and beans using dual counter‐current chromatography (dual CCC) and liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI LC/MS/MS). After pesticides were extracted from cereals and beans with ethyl acetate, each extract was cleaned up by dual CCC using a non‐aqueous binary solvent system composed of n‐hexane‐acetonitrile and analyzed by ESI LC/MS/MS with a short column. The average recoveries from cereals and beans fortified at the level of 0.01 ppm ranged from 73.9 to 119.6%, with the coefficients of variation from 0.7 to 6.8%. At the fortified level of 0.5 ppm, the recoveries ranged from 72.1 to 117.1% with coefficients of variation from 0.4 to 9.3%. The present analytical method of N‐methyl carbamate pesticides in cereals and beans is considered to be useful for monitoring the pesticide residues in cereals and beans.

Keywords:

• High throughput analysis
• N‐Methyl carbamate pesticides
• Beans
• Cereals
• Dual CCC
• ESI LC/MS/MS

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank Mrs. Y. Yoshimi for carrying out some of the experiments.