Quality Control and Chemical Analysis for Pesticide Residues, Mycotoxins, and Other Contaminant Components in Agri-Food

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 1650

Special Issue Editors


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Departamento de Química, Unidad Departamental de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Interests: analytical chemistry; chromatography; sample preparation; mass spectrometry; food science; green chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Química, Unidad Departamental de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n°., 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
Interests: miniaturized extraction techniques; chromatography; mass spectrometry; food analysis; endocrine disruptors; green chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a pleasure to announce the next Special Issue of Foods, entitled “Quality Control and Chemical Analysis for Pesticide Residues, Mycotoxins, and Other Contaminant Components in Agri-Food”, which will compile state-of-the-art analytical methodologies, including extraction procedures or analysis systems, for the analysis of contaminants in the agri-food sector.

Analyzing contaminants in food and agricultural products is crucial in ensuring food safety and protecting consumer health, by minimizing exposure to harmful substances. Additionally, rigorous quality control confirms compliance with the maximum residue limits set by regulatory bodies, preventing illegal or unsafe products from entering the market. Furthermore, continuous analysis supports international trade that is based on adherence to quality standards and agri-food product requirements. The monitoring of residues helps in assessing environmental impacts and supports sustainable practices, as well as informing waste disposal and recycling strategies. All these aspects mean that it is necessary to research and innovate in order to adapt to changes in agri-food safety. Therefore, new methods, technologies, and best practices can emerge from quality control efforts.

This Special Issue will present recent advances in quality control and chemical analysis for different contaminants and provide an updated and critical overview of recent advances and future trends in agri-food. Original manuscripts, including full-length articles, short communications, and reviews, are welcome.

Dr. Álvaro Santana-Mayor
Dr. Bárbara Socas-Rodríguez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agri-food products and by-products
  • quality control
  • chemical analysis
  • food safety
  • analytical methods
  • analysis systems
  • organic contaminants
  • pesticide residues
  • mycotoxins

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2025 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Ferimzone and Tricyclazole Analysis in Rice Straw Using QuEChERS Method and Its Application in UAV-Sprayed Residue Study
by So-Hee Kim, Jae-Woon Baek, Hye-Ran Eun, Ye-Jin Lee, Su-Min Kim, Mun-Ju Jeong, Yoon-Hee Lee, Hyun Ho Noh and Yongho Shin
Foods 2024, 13(21), 3517; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13213517 - 4 Nov 2024
Viewed by 474
Abstract
Rice straw is used as livestock feed and compost. Ferimzone and tricyclazole, common fungicides for rice blast control, can be found in high concentrations in rice straw after unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spraying, potentially affecting livestock and human health through pesticide residues. In [...] Read more.
Rice straw is used as livestock feed and compost. Ferimzone and tricyclazole, common fungicides for rice blast control, can be found in high concentrations in rice straw after unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spraying, potentially affecting livestock and human health through pesticide residues. In this study, an optimized method for the analysis of the two fungicides in rice straw was developed using the improved QuEChERS method. After the optimization of water and solvent volume, extraction conditions including ethyl acetate (EtOAc), acetonitrile (MeCN), a mixed solvent, and MeCN containing 1% acetic acid were compared. Different salts, including unbuffered sodium chloride, citrate, and acetate buffer salts, were compared for partitioning. Among the preparation methods, the MeCN/EtOAc mixture with unbuffered salts showed the highest recovery rates (88.1–97.9%, RSD ≤ 5.1%). To address the severe matrix effect (%ME) of rice straw, which is characterized by low moisture content and cellulose-based complex matrices, samples were purified using 25 mg each of primary–secondary amine (PSA) and octadecylsilane (C18), without pesticide loss. The developed method was validated with a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.005 mg/kg for target pesticides, and recovery rates at levels of 0.01, 0.1, and 2 mg/kg met the permissible range (82.3–98.9%, RSD ≤ 8.3%). The %ME ranged from −17.6% to −0.3%, indicating a negligible effect. This optimized method was subsequently applied to residue studies following multi-rotor spraying. Fungicides from all fields and treatment groups during harvest season did not exceed the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for livestock feed. This confirms that UAV spraying can be safely managed without causing excessive residues. Full article
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19 pages, 7369 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Surveillance of >1100 Pesticides and Natural Toxins in Food: Harnessing the Capabilities of LC-HRMS for Reliable Identification and Quantification
by Thomas Bessaire, Marie-Claude Savoy, Marion Ernest, Nicolas Christinat, Flavia Badoud, Aurélien Desmarchelier, Benoit Carrères, Wai-Chinn Chan, Xiaoyu Wang and Thierry Delatour
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3040; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193040 - 25 Sep 2024
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Abstract
The consequences of climate change along with diverse food regulations and agricultural practices worldwide are complexifying the occurrence and management of chemical contaminants in food. In this context, we present an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) approach for the simultaneous identification [...] Read more.
The consequences of climate change along with diverse food regulations and agricultural practices worldwide are complexifying the occurrence and management of chemical contaminants in food. In this context, we present an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) approach for the simultaneous identification and quantitation of over 1100 pesticide residues, mycotoxins, and plant toxins in cereals and fruits and vegetables. Analytical conditions were optimized to maximize the scope of the targeted molecules, the reliability of compound identification, and quantification performance within a single method. The method was further transferred and validated in another laboratory to assess its ruggedness. Validation according to the SANTE 11312/2021v2 guidelines showed that 92% and 98% of the molecules fulfill the quantification criteria at the lowest validated level in the cereals and fruits and vegetables groups, respectively. Analysis of fifteen certified reference materials led to a 96% satisfactory rate of z-scores confirming method’s competitiveness. Furthermore, the occurrence of these contaminants was studied in 205 cereals and grains samples collected worldwide. The low µg/kg quantification limits make this LC-HRMS method a valuable tool to ensure compliance toward regulations and to screen for non-regulated substances for which occurrence data are crucial for an appropriate risk evaluation. Full article
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