A multi‐residue screening method for the determination of 73 pesticides and metabolites in fruit and vegetables using high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A multi‐residue screening method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 73 pesticides and their metabolites using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. These pesticides were determined under a single set of experimental conditions involving a simple acetonitrile extraction without the requirement for a clean‐up step. Validation was achieved at 0.01 and 0.1 mg kg −1 levels in apple, lettuce and orange. Recoveries were in the range 77–124% for the majority of pesticides.