QuEChERS-based method for the multiresidue analysis of pesticides in beeswax by LC-MS/MS and GC×GC-TOF.

The validation of an analytical procedure for the determination of pesticide residues in beeswax, an interesting matrix for environmental pollution monitoring, is presented. Using the QuEChERS template, the impacts of wax particle size, sample amount, and cleanup procedure (water addition, dispersive solid phase extraction, freeze-out, and combinations thereof) on extraction yield and coextractive load were studied. Sample preparation through liquid-liquid partitioning between acetonitrile and melted wax (∼80 °C), followed by freeze-out and primary-secondary amine dispersive cleanup, was performed on incurred and pesticide-free samples for 51 residues.

Food contamination with organic materials in perspective: packaging materials as the largest and least controlled source? A view focusing on the European situation.

The comparison of the various sources of food contamination with organic chemicals suggests that in the public, but also among experts, the perception of risk is often distorted. Firstly, neither pesticides nor environmental pollutants contribute the most; the amount of material migrating from food packaging into food may well be 100 times higher. Secondly, control of these large migrants is often lagging behind the standards set up for other sources, since many of the components (particularly those not being "starting materials") have not been identified and, thus, not toxicologically evaluated.

Development, validation, and application of an acetylcholinesterase-biosensor test for the direct detection of insecticide residues in infant food.

A highly sensitive and rapid food-screening test based on disposable screen-printed biosensors was developed, which is suitable for monitoring infant food. The exposure of infants and children to neurotoxic organophosphates and carbamates is of particular concern because of their higher susceptibility to adverse effects. The European Union has, therefore, set a very low limit for pesticides in infant food, which must not contain concentrations exceeding 10 microg/kg for any given pesticide.