Beyond helium: hydrogen as a carrier gas in multiresidue pesticide analysis in fruits and vegetables by GC-MS/MS
Víctor Cutillas, Guillermo García-Gallego, María Murcia‐Morales, Carmen Ferrer, Amadeo R. Fernández‐Alba
Abstract
(81% in tomato, 84% in pepper and 73% in zucchini). Detailed validation for reproducibility, matrix effects, and linearity across 150 pesticides unveiled generally favorable outcomes, with a notable majority of compounds displaying low matrix effects, satisfactory linearity ranges and good reproducibility with most compounds returning a relative standard deviation (RSD) below 10%. When applied to 15 real samples, the hydrogen-based system's performance was juxtaposed against a helium-based counterpart, revealing that results are very comparable between both systems. This comparative approach highlights hydrogen's potential as a reliable and efficient carrier gas in pesticide residue analysis for routine food control laboratories, overcoming difficulties resulting from the lack of helium supplies.