Table 1.
Representative QuEChERS and related methods in the literature for various analyte analyses in high-fat matrices.
| No. | Analytes | Matrix | Extraction solvent # | Extraction salt | Dispersive sorbent* | Instrument | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 pesticides | Flaxseeds, peanuts and dough (11.4 ~ 42.2% lipid in sample) | ACN | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1) | PSA & C18 (3:1) | GC-TOF MS | Thailand & USA [5] |
| 2 | 33 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | High-fat smoked salmon (3~11% fat in sample) | Acetone, ethyl acetate & isooctane (2:1:1) | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1); or MgSO4, NaCl, TC & DH (4:1:1:0.5) | PSA, C18 & MgSO4 (1:1:3) | GC-MS (SIM) | USA [6] |
| 3 | 3 pesticides | Meat and bovine fat | ACN | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1) | PSA & C18 (1:1) for meat; PSA alone for bovine fat (following hexane defatting) | GC-MS(SIM) | Brazil [7] |
| 4 | 136 pesticides | Avocado | ACN with 1% AA | MgSO4 & NaOAc (4:1) | PSA, C18 & MgSO4 (1:1:3) § | LC-MS (79 analytes) & GC-MS (57 analytes) | USA [8] |
| 5 | 28 pesticides | Rapeseed, soybean, peanut & sesame seeds | ACN | NaCl | Amine-modified graphene | UHPLC-MS/MS | China [16] |
| 6 | 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | Salmon | ACN | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1) | EMR-lipid ₡ | GC-MS | USA [17] |
| 7 | 7 neonicotinoid insecticides | Cocoa beans and shells | ACN | MgSO4 & NaOAc (4:1) | PSA, C18 & GCB (1:1:1) | HPLC-MS/MS | Ghana & Denmark [28] |
| 8 | 67 pesticides | Olive, olive oil and avocado | ACN | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1) | EMR-lipid | UHPLC-MS/MS | Spain [19] |
| 9 | 28 carbamates | High-fat cheese | ACN with 1% AA | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1) | Z-Sep plus (ZrO2 and C18 dual bonded to silica) | UHPLC-MS/MS | Spain [10] |
| 10 | 205 pesticides | Spices | ACN | MgSO4 NaCl, TC & DH (4:1:1:0.5) | EMR-lipid | GC-MS/MS | Spain [20] |
| 11 | 7 neonicotinoid insecticides | Beeswax | Methanol and ethyl acetate (7:3) | No salt used (no liquid-liquid partition) | EMR-lipid | UHPLC-QTOF | Spain [29] |
| 12 | 39 veterinary drugs | Pork and bovine muscle, porcine and chicken liver and kidney, etc. | EDTA solution. ACN with 2% FMA and 2% DMSO | No salt used (no liquid-liquid partition) | EMR-lipid (cartridge format) | UHPLC-MS/MS | USA [18] |
| 13 | methyldibromo glutaronitrile (a now-prohibited preservative) | Creamy cosmetic products | ACN | No salt used (no liquid-liquid partition) | EMR-lipid | GC-MS | Italy [30] |
| 14 | Cholesterol and its 7 oxidative products | Meat from pork, chicken & fish; fat of tallow, lard and butter | Acetone | MgSO4 & NaOAc (4:1) | PSA, C18 & MgSO4 (1:1:3) | GC-MS | China [9] |
| 15 | 5 heterocyclic amines | Cooked beef, chicken and bacon (3~43% fat in samples) | ACN with 1% FMA (for beef) or 2% FMA (for chicken and bacon) | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1) | EMR-lipid ₡ | UHPLC-MS/MS | USA [31] |
| 16 | flubendiamide (a pesticide) | bee pollen | ACN | NaCl | EMR-lipid (4 min dry ice chill before clean up) | HPLC-MS | Spain [32] |
| 17 | 21 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons | Smoked mackerel fish | ACN | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1) | EMR-lipid | GC-MS | Czech & Poland [33] |
| 18 | 26 phenolic compounds | Mouse white adipose tissue | ACN | MgSO4 & NaCl (4:1) | EMR-lipid (96-well plate) | UHPLC-MS/MS | Our method |
Abbreviations: PSA, primary secondary amine (N-isopropylethylenediamine); GCB, graphitized carbon black; EMR, enhanced matrix removal; NaOAc, sodium acetate; TC, trisodium citrate dihydrate; DH, disodium hydrogencitrate sesquihydrate; AA, acetic acid. SIM, selected ion monitoring.
, mixed extraction solvent is noted by the volume ratio in the parenthesis.
, the sorbents are in dispersive format unless otherwise specified. Mixed sorbents of different types are noted by the mass ratio in the parenthesis. The MgSO4 of this table all refers to the anhydrous format.
, for analytes using LC-MS, the ACN extract was directly injected into LC-MS after extraction without sorbent cleanup.
, sample preparation involved EMR cleanup, followed by salting-out of the ACN layer, a reverse order of the typical QuEChERS procedure where salting-out precedes sorbent cleanup.