High-Throughput Methodology for the Determination of 33 Carbamates in Herbal Products by UHPLC–MS/MS

In this work, a new method for the determination of 33 carbamates (including some metabolites) in different teas, chamomile, and other herbal products intended for infusions, by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, is proposed. Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) methodology was evaluated as sample treatment, and after optimizing the cleanup step (dispersive solid-phase extraction), matrix effects were reduced around 30 % for most of the considered pesticides in relation to those obtained with the extraction procedure without an additional cleanup. The method allowed recoveries between 74 and 101 %, with relative standard deviations lower than 7 % at three concentration levels (5, 20, and 50 μg kg−1). Limits of quantification ranged from 1.9 to 4.0 μg kg−1, therefore below maximum residue limits established for this type of samples.