Residue analysis of active substances from plant protection and biocidal products

In order to check whether residues of plant protection products and biocidal active substances are present in food, feed, or environmental matrices, appropriate analytical methods must be available. Within the framework of various legal procedures, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment examines whether the needed residue analytical methods are available in the required quality. Some of these methods are included in the Official Collections, while others are developed by applicants for a defined purpose. Individual plant matrices/foodstuffs are assigned to specific External Link:matrix groups. Residue analysis methods must be validated separately for each matrix group.

The Official Collection of testing methods pursuant to § 64 of the German Food and Feed Code (LFGB) contains a range of established analytical methods for pesticide residues. A regularly updated overview of the methods and their areas of application is available at the "External Link:BVL online collection of methods." Complete method descriptions are available on request (for a fee).

Multi-residue methods are increasingly being used to monitor residues of active substances from plant protection and biocidal products. These methods can detect simultaneously a large number of active substances using e.g. liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In these methods, the target analytes are selected from a large number of food ingredients based on their molecular mass and identified by characteristic fragments, which are generated in the mass spectrometer.

To support international efforts in the development of new LC-MS/MS multi-methods, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment maintains a methodological database for the determination of pesticide residues using LC-MS/MS.