Automatic single-step quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe sample preparation devices for analysis of pesticide residues in foods

- A novel automatic QuEChERS device was developed.
- The automatic QuEChERS device was successfully applied in analysis of 270 pesticides in plant-derived foods.
- The performance of automatic method and traditional method were compared.
- For majority of the test pesticides in representative matrices celery and corn, the LOQs were 2 μg kg−1.
- The r2 was 0.99 within the calibration linearity range of 2-500 μg kg−1.

In this research, the manual two-step QuEChERS approach has been streamlined and automated into a one-step method using a cleanup tube fitted within an extraction tube. A novel automatic QuEChERS combination have been developed to simplify the QuEChERS procedures and improve sample preparation efficiency. This combination integrates QuEChERS procedures into a single run via the use of a vortex vibration-centrifuge device and a centrifuge filtration tube. To validate the efficiency of our automatic QuEChERS device, 270 pesticides were analyzed in plant origined foods including celery, tomatoes, leeks, eggplants, grapes, corn, green tea, and soybean oil using this automatic platform. The results were then compared with those obtained using the manual QuEChERS method. Different parameters were validated and compared including recovery, linearity, repeatability and limits of quantification (LOQ). Satisfactory results, comparable to results obtained using the manual QuEChERS method were obtained. The average recoveries ranged between 70% and 120% for most pesticides with associated relative standard deviations (RSDs) <20% (n = 5) indicating satisfactory accuracy and repeatability. An LOQ of 2 μg/kg was obtained for most pesticides present in celery and corn matrices, and the correlation coefficients (r2) were >0.990 within a linearity range of 2-500 μg/kg. Compared to manual QuEChERS, this novel automatic QuEChERS device and combination could significantly improve the sample preparation efficiency for the multiresidue analysis of pesticides.