Rapid screening and quantification of residual pesticides and illegal adulterants in red wine by direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry

- A rapid screening and quantification method for pesticides and adulterants in wine.
- The first time to combine DART with QqQ-MS to detect pesticides and adulterants.
- The simple modified QuEChERS preparation procedure to shorten the time of analysis.
- No column used for separation.

A rapid method to screen and quantify multi-class analytic targets in red wine has been developed by direct analysis in real time (DART) coupled with triple quadruple tandem mass spectrometry (QqQ-MS). A modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) procedure was used for increasing analytical speed and reducing matrix effect, and the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in DART-MS/MS ensured accurate analysis. One bottle of wine containing 50 pesticides and 12 adulterants, i.e., preservatives, antioxidant, sweeteners, and azo dyes, could be totally determined less than 12 min. This method exhibited proper linearity (R2 ≥ 0.99) in the range of 1-1000 ng/mL for pesticides and 10-5000 ng/mL for adulterants. The limits of detection (LODs) were obtained in a 0.5-50 ng/mL range for pesticides and 5-50 ng/mL range for adulterants, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were in a 1-100 ng/mL range for pesticides and 10-250 ng/mL range for adulterants. Three spiked levels for each analyte in wine were evaluated, and the recoveries were in a scope of 75-120%. The results demonstrated DART-MS/MS was a rapid and simple method, and could be applied to rapid analyze residual pesticides and illegal adulterants in a large quantities of red wine.