Rapid determination of 134 pesticides in tea through multi-functional filter cleanup followed by UPLC-QTOF-MS

Ensuring the safety of tea requires effective methods for the simultaneous analysis of pesticide residues in the product. A sensitive and reliable method to scan for 134 pesticide residues in tea was developed that employs a novel Multi-Functional Filter (MFF) based on d-SPE extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The adsorption material was developed by porous polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) for the removal of polyphenols. Acetonitrile extraction was passed through a syringe and then detected by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Method validation revealed satisfactory linearity with correlation coefficients higher than 0.985 for all pesticides. All limits of quantification were below 10 mu g/kg. The matrix effects of 133 of the pesticides were nearly negligible (<20%), except for Sebutylazine (=22%). The recoveries at two spiked levels (50, 100 mu g/kg) were 66.83-118.33%, and the Relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 20%, indicating accuracy and precision of the new method.