The Chromatography Forum

of Delaware Valley

Every dog has its day, and for the past two decades, the “quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe” (QuEChERS) method has been widely used in many labs worldwide for monitoring pesticides and other chemical contaminants in foods. QuEChERS concepts provide many advantages over previous practices 20 years ago, which permanently altered the sample preparation landscape. QuEChERS was devised to provide “just enough” cleanup, but it was never enough for the most complex matrices, and many analysts have used it routinely when they shouldn’t, causing damage to expensive instruments. Many advances have been made in analytical technology in the past several years that permit an even better approach from start-to-finish for LC- and GC- MS-based analyses. The QuEChERSER mega-method, which is also “efficient and robust,” is “more than QuEChERS” by expanding the applicable scope of analytes and matrices. QuEChERSER provides both greater extraction efficiency and more selectivity in sample preparation for higher quality results by splitting the initial extract to tailor its cleanup for LC- and GC- amenable analytes without overwhelming the instruments with matrix co-extractives. The many advantages of QuEChERSER will be presented with the expectation that it will supplant and overtake QuEChERS in even more labs and applications.