Fundamental study of a novel membrane filtration cleanup method for pesticide analysis in agricultural products

The recovery and purification characteristics of membrane filtration for pesticide analysis of agricultural products were investigated. Eight different types of membranes classified by their molecular weight cut off (MWCO) and material were used. The results showed that the recovery and purification characteristics varied according to the eluting solvent used, as well as the membrane's MWCO and material. The recovery increased as the MWCO increased, and the purification increased when the eluting solvent contained water. A GK membrane with acetonitrile-water (1:1, v/v) was the most effective membrane filtration method among those tested. The pesticide analysis of spinach using the GK filtration method indicated that this method results in better purification than the modified QuEChERS method.