Simultaneous determination of plant growth regulator and pesticides in bean sprouts by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

• ​An analytical method for 6-BA, carbendazim and thiabendazole in bean sprouts.
• ​​Sodium chloride and sodium acetate as a salting-out agents.
• Matrix-matched standards were adopted to minimize the matrix effect.
• ​6-BA detected in 3 samples at the level of 15–20 ng/g in 126 bean sprout samples.

A simple and sensitive analytical method based on QuEChERS approach using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for the determination of 6-benzylaminopurine, carbendazim and thiabendazole in bean sprouts. Sodium chloride and sodium acetate were used for salting-out step and magnesium sulfate for clean-up. The validation of optimized method was satisfactory with recoveries, between 89.5% and 103.2% for the three compounds, and relative standard deviation (RSD) values less than 3.3% at 20 and 40 ng/g fortification levels (n = 5). Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) was 2.1–3.7 ng/g and 6.3–11.1 ng/g, respectively. Monitoring of 126 bean sprout samples collected from local markets was performed to verify the adaptability in real samples. No pesticides were detected but 6-benzylaminopurine was found in 3 samples at the level of 15–20 ng/g. The optimized method should be applicable for monitoring of 6-benzylaminopurine, carbendazim and thiabendazole in bean sprouts in short time.