Fluka and Supelco
Solid Phase Extraction

Multilayer SPE Tubes for Pesticide Analysis

SPE of pesticides in food

The multi-residue surveillance of pesticides in agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, meat, shellfish, grains, and dairy products) is an ongoing project for regulatory agencies, contract laboratories, and industrial laboratories worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of samples are analyzed annually to meet a variety of purposes including regulatory enforcement and surveillance monitoring.

A number of procedures have been published for the extraction and analyses of multi-residue pesticides from a variety of food matrices. Most of them involve an initial liquid-liquid extraction step, and/or solid-liquid extraction step using a water miscible solvent such as acetonitrile or acetone. Subsequent analysis is conducted via GC-MS, GC-fluuorescence, GC-ESD, and other detection techniques. Further cleanup using SPE technology prior to GC analysis is necessary to:
  • Decrease background levels for trace level pesticide detection
  • Reduce matrix-induced signal enhancement
  • Reduce down time on the GC system

The Supelclean™ ENVI-Carb™-II/PSA SPE product line consists of multi-layer SPE cartridges that were developed for superior cleanup when conducting multi-residue pesticide analysis in agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, meat, shellfish, grains, and dairy products). The technology acts as a chemical filter in which each layer plays a specific role for removing key interferences when conducting pesticide analysis using GC. 

View a comprehensive technical report describing how multilayer SPE works, including example applications/protocols and suggested readings/references.
Supel™ Sphere Carbon/NH2 SPE

Retention Mechanism: Reversed-phase and anion-exchange
Sample Matrix Compatibility: Organic or aqueous solutions
  • SPE tube packed entirely with spherical, non-friable particles.
  • Improved flow characteristics and faster flow for gravity filtration.
  • Reduced susceptibility to the formation of fines.
  • Dual layer SPE tube contains both spherical carbon (upper layer) & spherical aminopropyl (NH2) phase (lower layer). SPE sorbents are separated by PE frit.
  • Developed to offer superior cleanup when conducting multi-residue pesticide analysis from food (e.g. agricultural products, meats, etc.).
  • Carbon has a strong affinity towards planar molecules, and can isolate/remove pigments (e.g., chlorophyll and carotinoids) and sterols commonly present in foods and natural products.
  • Aminopropyl (NH2 retains fatty acids, organic acids, and some polar pigments and sugars common in food matrices.
  • View addtional information
     
Supel Sphere Carbon/NH2 Pkg. Qty. Cat. No.
500 mg (spherical carbon) / 500 mg (spherical NH2) / 6 mL 30 54283-U
Supelclean ENVI-Carb-II/PSA SPE
Supelclean ENVI-CarbII/PSA SPE tubes

Retention Mechanism: Reversed-phase and anion-exchange
Sample Matrix Compatibility: Organic or aqueous solutions
  • Dual layer SPE tube that contains both Supelclean ENVI-Carb-II (upper layer) and PSA (lower layer) SPE sorbents (separated by PE frit)
  • Developed to offer superior cleanup when conducting multi-residue pesticide analysis in food (e.g., fruits, vegetables, etc.)
  • ENVI-Carb-II a graphitized non-porous carbon (100/140 mesh, surface area 100 m2/g) that has a strong affinity towards planar molecules, and has been quality controlled specifically for the isolation/removal of pigments (e.g., chlorophyll and carotinoids) and sterols commonly present in fruits, vegetables, and other natural products
  • Supelclean PSA is a polymerically bonded, ethylenediamine-N-propyl phase that contains both primary and secondary amines
  • Supelclean PSA has a strong affinity and high capacity for fatty acids, organic acids, and some polar pigments and sugars
  • Tested for superior cleanliness using GC-FID and GC-MS
     
Supelclean ENVI-Carb-II/PSA SPE Tube Pkg. Qty. Cat. No.
300 mg / 600 mg / 6 mL 30 54058-U
500 mg / 500 mg / 6 mL 30 54067-U
500 mg / 300 mg / 6 mL 30 55119-U
Supelclean ENVI-Carb-II/SAX/PSA SPE

Retention Mechanism: Reversed-phase and anion-exchange
Sample Matrix Compatibility: Organic or aqueous solutions
  • Tri-layer SPE tube that contains Supelclean ENVI-Carb-II (upper layer), SAX (middle layer) and PSA (lower layer) SPE sorbents (separated by PE frit)
  • Developed to offer superior cleanup when conducting multi-residue pesticide analysis in food (e.g., fruits, vegetables, etc.)
  • ENVI-Carb-II is a graphitized non-porous carbon (100/140 mesh, surface area 100 m2/g) that has a strong affinity towards planar molecules, and has been quality controlled specifically for the isolation/removal of pigments (e.g., chlorophyll and carotinoids) and sterols commonly present in fruits, vegetables and other natural products
  • Supelclean PSA has a strong affinity and high capacity for fatty acids, organic acids, and some polar pigments and sugars
  • Supelclean SAX offers additional ion-exchange capacity for removing matrix components that may induce ion-suppression or enhancement during GC analysis
     
Supelclean ENVI-Carb-II/SAX/PSA SPE Tube Pkg. Qty. Cat. No.
500 mg / 500 mg / 500 mg / 12 mL 20 52574-U
Supelclean SAX/PSA SPE

Retention Mechanism: Normal-phase and anion-exchange
Sample Matrix Compatibility: Organic or aqueous solutions
  • Dual layer SPE tube that contains both Supelclean SAX (upper layer) and PSA (lower layer) SPE sorbents (separated by PE frit)
  • Supelclean SAX is a quarternary amine, Cl- counter-ion
  • Supelclean PSA is a polymerically bonded, ethylenediamine-N-propyl phase that contains both primary and secondary amines
  • Ideal for removing matrix components (fatty acids, organic acids, polar pigments, and some sugars) when conducting multi-residue pesticide analysis in foods
  • In compliance with Luke and Luke II methods that use SPE to reduce matrix induced ion-suppression and enhancement when conducting GC analysis of pesticides in food
     
Supelclean SAX/PSA SPE Tube Pkg. Qty. Cat. No.
250 mg / 250 mg / 6 mL 30 52576-U
500 mg / 500 mg / 6 mL 30 52577-U
Supelclean PSA SPE

PSA SPE phase structure
(PSA Structure)

Retention Mechanism: Normal-phase and anion-exchange
Sample Matrix Compatibility: Organic or aqueous solutions
  • Polymerically bonded, ethylenediamine-N-propyl phase that contains both primary and secondary amines
  • A weak anion exchanger with a pKa of 10.1 and 10.9
  • Similar to aminopropyl SPE phases (NH2) in terms of selectivity, but has a much higher capacity due to presence of secondary amine (0.98-1.05 meq/g)
  • Strong affinity and high capacity for removing fatty acids, organic acids, and some polar pigments and sugars when conducting multi-residue pesticide analysis in foods
  • Has been shown to significantly reduce matrix-enhancement effects encountered during the GC analysis of food products
  • Bidendate nature of ligands allow for chelation
     
Supelclean PSA SPE Tube Pkg. Qty. Cat. No.
200 mg / 3mL 54 52578-U
500 mg / 6 mL 30 52579-U
Bulk packing 100 g 52738-U
Supelclean ENVI-Carb SPE
Supelclean ENVI-Carb SPE tube
Retention Mechanism: Reversed-phase and normal-phase
Sample Matrix Compatibility: Organic or aqueous solutions
  • Surface area: 100 m2/g; Particle size: 100/400 mesh
  • Extreme affinity for organic polar and non polar compounds from both nonpolar and polar matrices when used under reversed-phase conditions
  • Strong affinity towards planar molecules, and can isolate/remove pigments commonly present in natural products
  • Carbon surface comprised of hexagonal ring structures, interconnected and layered into graphitic sheets
  • Non-porous nature of the carbon phase allows for rapid processing and adsorption
  • Independent investigators have found ENVI-Carb extremely useful for the rapid sample preparation of over 200 pesticides from various matrices including ground water, fruits, and vegetables
     
Supelclean ENVI-Carb SPE Tube Pkg. Qty. Cat. No.
100 mg / 1 mL 108 57109-U
250 mg / 3 mL 54 57088
250 mg / 6 mL 30 57092
500 mg / 6 mL 30 57094
1 g / 12 mL 20 57127-U
2 g / 12 mL 20 57128
5 g / 20 mL 20 57129
10 g / 12 mL 16 57130
Bulk packing 50 g 57210-U