Research Progress of Mass Spectrometry in Pesticide Residue Analysis

Pesticide is closely related to the quantity and quality of agricultural products, which has been the effective measure to control the diseases, insect pests and weeds. The level of pesticide residues and the risk to human health have always been the focus of public attention. Mass spectrometry has the advantage of high specificity and sensitivity, high tolerance, good accuracy and repeatability, which can be used to detect pesticide residues accurately and provide strong technical support for pesticide registration, management and risk assessment. This review summarized the development and characteristic of mass spectrometry and MS combination techniques. The performance of mass spectrometry in pesticide residue analysis was introduced comprehensively, especially in food, environment, and biological science. In addition, the application of mass spectrometry and MS combination techniques in official standard methods were discussed. The identification criteria for different MS techniques of Codex Alimentarius Commission and European Union were compared. Since 1990s, quadrupole, tandem mass spectrometry, high-resolution mass spectrometry or combination with chromatography have shown a major development trend in the field of pesticide residue analysis. High throughput screening technology, on-site mobile and desktop mass spectrometry, ambient ionization, non-target screening and simple and fast sample preparation technique will be the mainly researchable and developmental fields in the future.