SPE-UPLC-MS/MS for Determination of 36 Monomers of Alkylphenol Ethoxylates in Tea

Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) represent a non-ionic surfactant widely used as adjuvants in pesticide formulation, which is considered to cause an endocrine-disrupting effect. In the current study, we established a detection method for the APEOs residue in tea based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the simultaneous analysis of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) and octylphenol ethoxylates (OPEOs) by UPLC-MS/MS. In the spiked concentrations from 0.024 to 125.38 mu g/kg for 36 monomers of APEOs (n(EO) = 3-20), the recoveries of APEOs range from 70.3-110.7% with RSD = 16.9%, except for OPEO20 (61.8%) and NPEO20 (62.9%). The LOQs of OPEOs and NPEOs are 0.024-6.27 and 0.16-5.01 mu g/kg, respectively. OPEOs and NPEOs are detected in 50 marketed tea samples with a total concentration of 0.057-12.94 and 0.30-215.89 mu g/kg, respectively. The detection rate and the range of the monomers of NPEOs are generally higher than those of OPEOs. The current study provides a theoretical basis for the rational use of APEOs as adjuvants in commercial pesticide production.

Automated summary

In this study, a detection method for alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) residue in tea was established using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and UPLC-MS/MS. The recoveries of APEOs ranged from 70.3-110.7% with RSD = 16.9%, except for OPEO20 (61.8%) and NPEO20 (62.9%). OPEOs and NPEOs were detected in 50 marketed tea samples with concentrations ranging from 0.057-12.94 μg/kg and 0.30-215.89 μg/kg, respectively. This study provides a theoretical basis for the rational use of APEOs as adjuvants in commercial pesticide production.