Monitoring of pesticide residues in Brazilian infant formulas using the suspect screening methodology by GC-HRMS

Author(s)

Galindo, Marcella Vitoria ; Vargas-Perez, Marta ; Lopez-Ruiz, Rosalia ; Oliveira, Wellington da Silva ; Godoy, Helena Teixeira ; Garrido-Frenich, Antonia ; Romero-Gonzalez, Roberto

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Food Composition and Analysis; v. 139, p. 5-pg., 2024-12-27.

Abstract

Infant formulas are foods intended for babies and toddlers who cannot be exclusively fed with human milk. Unfortunately, infant formula can be contaminated by pesticides resulting from agricultural practices. To analyze the presence of these compounds, a preliminary multiclass and multiresidue method for screening pesticides in infant formula was applied using gas chromatography coupled to Quadrupole-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS). A total of 278 pesticides from different classes were investigated using a homemade database. A QuEChERS protocol followed by a generic non-selective extraction using Agilent Captiva EMR-Lipid well was performed for efficient screening analysis. With this, six compounds were identified (phthalimide, cis-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydrophthalimide, pyridaben, methamidophos, bupirimate, and piperonyl but- oxide) and semi-quantified in 86.6 % of the samples. Phthalimide was the most frequently detected in concentrations ranging from 2.6 to 15.8 mu g kg- 1. Cis-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydrophthalimide, a phthalimide metabolite, was detected at the highest concentration (73.6 mu g kg- 1) in one sample. Pyridaben, bupirimate and piperonyl but- oxide were detected in concentrations ranging from 1.4 to 45.1 mu g kg- 1 A banned compound in Brazil, methamidophos, was detected in one sample at 3.6 mu g kg-1. These findings shows that pesticides need to be monitored in infant food to ensure the safety of babies. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 22/06633-4 - Development of a multi-residue method for the simultaneous detection of pesticides and mycotoxins in infant formulae
• Grantee: Marcella Vitoria Galindo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 21/02153-5 - Incidence of bisphenol A, benzophenones and polycyclic aromatic hidrocarbons in human milk: an exploratory study
• Grantee: Marcella Vitoria Galindo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate