Analysis of “Amitraz (sum)” in pears with incurred residues - Comparison of the approach covering the individual metabolites via LC-MS/MS with the approach involving cleavage to 2,4-dimethylaniline

Pear samples with a history of amitraz treatment, containing residues of the amitraz metabolite DMPF but no detectable residues of amitraz or its other metabolites, DMF and DMA, were extracted using the QuEChERS method. DMPF-results obtained using direct LC-MS/MS analysis were found to be comparable with DMA-results obtained when the same extracts were subjected to alkaline hydrolysis, suggesting that DMPF constituted virtually the only source of DMA in the analysed pears and that the determination of amitraz (sum) in pears does not necessarily require a cumbersome method involving cleavage to DMA.