LC-HRMS-based target, suspect and non-target screening of Greek peaches and nectarines: pesticide occurrence, transformation products and dietary risk assessment.

Abstract

Peaches and nectarines (Prunus persica) are widely consumed stone fruits requiring comprehensive residue monitoring. Herein, an integrated LC-HRMS workflow combining target, suspect, and non-target screening was applied to 74 samples collected from the two major Greek production subregions. Target analysis enabled the quantification of 22 pesticide residues with cyprodinil, tebuconazole, difenoconazole, boscalid, fludioxonil, etofenprox, and pyraclostrobin among the most frequently detected. Comparison with EU MRLs showed only two slight exceedances, corresponding to 2.7% of samples, below the recent EFSA-reported average. Target-driven suspect screening, supported by literature-derived MS data, retention time prediction, and in silico MS/MS fragmentation, enabled the tentative annotation of nine transformation products associated with five pesticides. Non-target screening expanded chemical characterization by annotating emerging contaminants and endogenous compounds. Dietary risk assessment indicated acute and chronic exposure below toxicological reference values, suggesting no appreciable consumer risk. The workflow demonstrates the value of integrated LC-HRMS for pesticide monitoring and broader chemical profiling.

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