Multiresidue analysis of pesticides in four different pomegranate cultivars: Investigating matrix effect variability by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS.

• Investigated matrix effects in pesticide residue analysis across 4 pomegranate cultivars. • Different cultivars demonstrated different matrix effects for most pesticides. • The cultivar-wise variations in GC-MS/MS were more prominent than LC-MS/MS analysis. • Extrapolative dilutions effectively reduced the cultivar-wise variations in matrix effects. • Cultivar-specific matrix-matched standards could minimize such variability in matrix effects. Matrix effect (ME) is unavoidable in multiresidue pesticide analysis, even when using highly advanced instruments, and differences in MEs can affect residue analytical accuracy due to pomegranate cultivar composition variations. However, literature to support this claim is limited. The study used GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS to investigate four different Indian pomegranate cultivar extracts and their MEs on multi-class pesticides. The whole fruit and arils of all cultivars were tested for 22 GC-amenable and 21 LC-amenable pesticides. Principal component analysis of the data confirmed that each cultivar had unique MEs for each pesticide. The majority of pesticides showed acute variations in recovery rates with 95% confidence, while GC-MS/MS-amenable pesticides showed more variation. Although extrapolative dilution reduced the influence of MEs on analytical accuracy, a generalized matrix-matching for all cultivars was not possible to achieve. To reduce the variability in MEs, it is recommended that a cultivar-specific matrix-matched standard should be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]