Evaluation of a method based on liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry for analyzing eight triazolic and pyrimidine fungicides in extracts of processed fruits and vegetables

The feasibility of using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) for determining 8 fungicides (triadimenol, penconazole, propiconazole, hexaconazole, cyproconazole, myclobutanil, fenarimol, and bitertanol) in extracts of tomato puree and lemon juice concentrate has been evaluated. A miniaturized extraction-partition procedure requiring small amounts of nonchlorinated solvents has been used. The extracts (5 microL) were analyzed by LC/ESI-MS/MS without any previous cleanup step. Chromatographic determination has been performed using a C18 column and isocratic elution. Seventeen MS/MS transitions of precursor ions were monitored simultaneously (2 or 3 for each pesticide). The excellent selectivity and good linearity of the LC/MS/MS method allowed quantitation and identification at low levels (limits of quantitation <0.010 mg/kg), even in difficult matrixes, with a run time of only 1.5 min.