Engineering

Ecology

Biology

Pesticide

Chromatography

Quechers

Sample preparation

Computer science

Protocol (science)

Biochemical engineering

Alternative medicine

Analyte

Pesticide residue

Medicine

Chemistry

Pathology

TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry

QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method was initially developed by Anastassiades and coworkers as an interesting alternative based on the main principles of the Green Chemistry to the determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. However, the great versatility of the procedure has allowed its application in other types of matrices and analytes with excellent results. In fact, nowadays the main advantages of QuEChERS such as the effective elimination of matrix effect as well as obtain a high recovery of target analytes are extensively known in diverse fields such as food, environmental and biological analysis. This review article pretends to provide an overview of the most relevant applications of the QuEChERS method in the last five years in these three different areas as well as the main trends regarding of the development and evolution of this sample preparation protocol.

Current trends in QuEChERS method. A versatile procedure for food, environmental and biological analysis