Gloved hand holding a test tube near apples and lab equipment, illustrating QuEChERS sample preparation in food testing.

QuEChERS Extraction Cleanup

QuEChERS extraction cleanup - How Micro SPE Works

The QuEChERS extraction of homogeneous samples and extracts cleanup for the analysis of pesticides and environmental contaminants is one example of how PAL Systems robotic instruments can solve the demands of sample processing faced by researchers. 

Explosion drawing of PAL Micro SPE Cartridge with Tool

Technology

The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) extraction is commonly used for the analysis of pesticides and other contaminants in a variety of matrices. It usually involves extraction with acetonitrile in the presence of a mixture of salts followed by centrifugation. An aliquot of the supernatant is then cleaned-up by a manual dispersive Solid Phase Extraction (d-SPE) in an attempt to remove unwanted matrix compounds.

The micro SPE clean-up uses a cartridge replacing dSPE. It empowers reliable, high-throughput sample processing with minimized labor input and instrument maintenance. The uSPE cleanup of QuEChERS extracts is undertaken in a scavenging mode, where unwanted matrix is retained by the micro-SPE sorbent, and contaminants are recovered in a sharp elution profile.

Also the automated cleanup of ethyl acetate extracts (Swedish ethylacetate method, SweEt) was shown to be successful using the PAL micro SPE Cartridges and workflow.

 

Gloved hand holding a test tube near apples and lab equipment, illustrating QuEChERS sample preparation in food testing.

Benefits

  • Achieves high quality results for a wide range of analytes and foods (apple, kiwi, carrot, kale, orange, black olive, pork loin, salmon, and avocado); Lehotay et al., 2016

  • Enables reliable, high sample throughput 24/7, the uSPE step takes 8 min per sample

  • Requires no sample concentration by evaporation

  • Minimizes manual labor input and instrument maintenance

  • Provides better QuEChERS extracts clean-up than dispersive-SPE (dSPE)

  • Increases instrument up-time significantly because of cleaner extracts

 

Close -up of PAL Micro SPE Cartridge

Benefits compared to dSPE:

  • Provides better cleanup than dispersive-SPE 

  • Requires no sample concentration by evaporation

  • The recent publication by Nicolas Michlig and Steven J. Lehotay  (US Department of Agriculture, Wyndmore PA, USA) evaluated the novel septumless uSPE cartridge with high extract load flow rates in the range of up to 10 µL/s, using extract volumes of up 600 µL. More than 250 pesticides were tested using the QuEChERSER methodology with LPGC-MS/MS analysis, which achieved recoveries of 80 to 120% for more than 260 pesticides. Optimization experiments led to a routine extract load volume of 500 µL at 5 µL/s flow rate.

    Authors: Nicolás Michlig, Steven J. Lehotay

Publication
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