QuEChERS

QuEChERS, which stands for "Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe," is an acronym that represents a highly advantageous analytical method. This method simplifies the analysis of multiple pesticide residues in various food products such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, and processed items.

The procedure involves a series of straightforward analytical steps, making it both fast and easy to perform while minimizing the risk of errors. It offers high recovery rates for a wide range of pesticides from different chemical classes. The final extract, dissolved in acetonitrile, provides flexibility in choosing the determinative analysis technique and allows for direct connections with liquid- and gas-chromatography.

In summary, the QuEChERS procedure includes the following steps:

Weigh 10 grams of the sample.
Add 10 mL of acetonitrile and an internal standard.
Agitate the mixture vigorously.
Add NaCl, MgSO4, and buffering salts for phase separation and pH adjustment.
Agitate again and centrifuge to obtain the raw extract.
Take an aliquot of the upper organic phase and subject it to dispersive SPE cleanup (d-SPE) by mixing it with MgSO4 and a sorbent (e.g., PSA) to remove water and undesired co-extractives.
Agitate briefly and centrifuge to obtain the final extract.
The final extract can be directly analyzed by GC and/or LC techniques.
Both the extraction and cleanup steps can be adjusted in scale according to your requirements.

With this method, a single analyst can prepare 8 samples in just 45 minutes using disposable materials that cost 1-3 euros. This approach enhances lab efficiency by reducing labor, consumable expenses, increasing sample throughput, and reducing waste generation and space requirements.

Since its publication by M. Anastassiades, S.J. Lehotay, D. Stajnbaher, and F.J. Schenck in 2003, the QuEChERS method has gained widespread adoption globally and has become one of the most commonly used sample preparation approaches in pesticide residue analysis worldwide.

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