ORIGINAL ABSTRACT

Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide worldwide. To identify glyphosate and its metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in the difficult-to-analyze matrix of tea, new methods were developed. The main emphasis was placed on the cleanup procedure. Two different solid-phase extraction methods were tested and evaluated: one with molecularly imprinted polymers, and the other with immobilized titanium dioxide. The optimization was carried out on the basis of aqueous standard solutions and spiked tea extracts. Validated results were presented for pipet tips that contained immobilized titanium dioxide. After the extraction of glyphosate from tea samples using hydrochloric acid (0.1%), glyphosate and AMPA were concentrated on the adsorbent by pipetting up and down several times without changing the tip. The elution was carried out subsequent to a washing step with 5% ammonia. The extract was derivatized with 2,2,2-trifluoroacetic acid and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol and then analyzed by GC with MS detection in the negative chemical ionization mode. Quantification was carried out in the selected-ion monitoring mode based on the m/z ratio of characteristic ions due to the ionization process. For glyphosate m/z = 370 was applied, and m/z = 351 for AMPA. The detection limit was 0.03 mg/kg tea for glyphosate and 0.006 mg/kg tea for AMPA. The recoveries for the tested working range (0.1 to 2.8 mg/kg tea) were low but constant at 14 and 12%, respectively. Altogether, the method presented here can be carried out easily and quickly, and it gives reliable information on the presence of the analytes in a sample. Quantification is also possible using standard addition.