Abstract: An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of the residues of 10 preservatives, including peimisine, carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, thiabendazole, iprodione, imazalil, benomyl, procymidone, chlorothalonil and pyrimethanil, in fruits was developed by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Samples were extracted by the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method. The UPLC-MS/MS method was performed with an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column using gradient elution with a mobile phase of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water. The target compounds were detected by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with an electrospray ionization source in the positive ion mode, and quantified by an external standard method using a matrix-match standard solution. The calibration curves showed good linearity with correlation coefficients greater than 0.992. The recoveries of the 10 preservatives at three spiked levels ranged from 75.0% to 112%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of less than 9.5% (n = 6). The limits of detection (LODs, RSN ≥ 3) were 0.02–1.50 μg/kg and the limits of quantity (LOQs, RSN ≥ 10) were 0.1–4.1 μg/kg for all the analytes. The established method is simple, sensitive, accurate and reliable, and can be applied for the simultaneous determination of multiple preservative residues in fruits．

Key words: preservatives, QuEChERS, fruits, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry