Analytical Method for Pesticides in Avocado and Papaya by Means of Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to a Triple Quadrupole Mass Detector: Validation and Uncertainty Assessment.

In this work, the uncertainty estimation for the determination of ametryn, carbofuran, atrazine, carbaryl, and methyl parathion in papaya and avocado is presented, along with other validation parameters. The analytical method was developed using Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe extraction and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass detector. The method validation showed that the linear correlation coefficients were higher than 0.99 for both fruits. The limits of detection for avocado and papaya were in the range of 0.022 to 0.46 and 0.003 to 0.109 μg/g, respectively. Intermediate precision varied from 5.3% to 13.0% in papaya, and from 4.8% to 20.2% in avocado. Recoveries obtained for each pesticide in both matrices ranged between 61.3% and 119.0%. Matrix effect was calculated for all compounds in both fruits. Finally, the overall uncertainty was lower than 36% for both fruits.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The present analytical method could be used for pesticides determination in different kind of fruits as papaya and avocado and as a practical guide for uncertainty and matrix effect determination.