Determination of Flubendiamide and Chlorantraniliprole Residues in Vegetables Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

An analytical method to determine chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide residues in vegetables by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry ( HPLC-MS/MS) was developed. The acetonitrile was added into the vegetable samples to extract chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide residues. Then the mixture was homogenized with high speed and added with some anhydrous magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride. After shaking thoroughly and centrifugation, the upper layer was transferred and diluted for direct analysis. HPLC-MS/MS with electriospray in positive ion scan mode was used to determine chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide simultaneously. The fortified recoveries of chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide in vegetable matrices including cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, pepper, tomato and wild rice stem were 85.4% - 105% at fortification levels ranging from 0.01 mg/kg to 5 mg/kg. Relative standard deviations were 2.5% - 12% (n =5). The limit of detection was 0.0003 mg/kg for chlorantraniliprole and 0.002 mg/kg for flubendiamide. The LOQ was 0.001 mg/kg for chlorantraniliprole and 0.006 mg/kg for flubendiamide. The method has the advantage of simplicity, repeatability and sensitivity.