Residue Analysis of Pesticides and Biocides
In order to find out whether food , animal feed or environmental matrices contain residues of pesticides and biocides, respectiveanalytical methods are required. BfR checks in the framework of various legal frameworks if the required analytical methods are available in sufficient quality. Such methods are partly compiled in collections of Official Methods or they are developed by applicants for a narrow field of use. Single plant matrices/food commodities are attributed to matrix groups.
An analytical method needs to be validated for each matrix group separately.
Collections of Official Methods
The official collection of analytical methods according to § 64 of the German Food and Feed Act (LFGB) contains a number of approved methods for analysing pesticide residues. A frequently updated overview of these methods and their applications is available from the German website "Methodensammlung BVL online". If required, the complete method descriptions can be obtained for charge..
Upon being cited in the Official Collection, methods which have been published by third parties become coequal to official methods. This applies, for example, to selected methods which have been developed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and published by Wiley/VCH. These methods are from December 2002 and are no longer in print . The collection of official methods is available in German language only:
- Multimethoden (L00.0015): Amtliche Analysenverfahren für Rückstände von Pflanzenschutz- und Schädlingsbekämpfungsmitteln
- Einzelmethoden (L 00.00 16) - Amtliche Analysenverfahren für Rückstände von Pflanzenschutz- und Schädlingsbekämpfungsmitteln
Upon request BfR provides these single and multi-residue methods free of charge. Please contact Dr. Angelika Steinborn (angelika.steinborn@bfr.bund.de).
BfR data for LC-MS/MS Analysis
An increasing number of analytical methods for the monitoring of pesticide residues is based on multi-residue methods, which are able to detect a large number of substances simultaneously by means of liquid chromatographie-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
In tandem mass spectrometry, the target analytes are separated from a multitude of natural food ingredients according to their molecular masses in the first mass spectrometer and identified by their characteristic mass fragments which are produced in the second mass spectrometer. In order to support international efforts in developing new LC-MS/MS multi-residue methods, the BfR maintains and updates data which allow for determination of pesticide residues by LC-MS/MS.