Direct Analysis of Glyphosate and Similar Polar Pesticides in Oatmeal by UHPLC-MS/MS

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine), an organophosphorus compound, is used to kill weeds (e.g. annual broadleaf weeds and grasses) that compete with crops. Since its introduction to market approximately 40 years ago, glyphosate has become one of the world’s most widely used herbicides due to its relatively low toxicity in comparison with other herbicides towards mammals. The adoption of glyphosate by farmers intensified after the introduction of genetically engineered “glyphosate tolerant” crops, such as corn and soybeans, that can withstand glyphosate treatment unlike the weeds the herbicide is meant to destroy. Like other pesticides, glyphosate is directly administered to food products and can come in contact with both food workers and the environment, resulting in the bio burden of exposure in uncontrolled regional populations. As a registered herbicide product under a number of regulatory organizations, glyphosate has been considered nontoxic with minimal risk to human health with persistent exposure at trace levels. However, recent toxicity evaluations by different organizations have put glyphosate at the center of a dispute. The World Health Organization's (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer classified it as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in March of 20151. However, in November of 2015, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a report claiming that there was no scientific evidence linking glyphosate to cancer2. Direct Analysis of Glyphosate and Similar Polar Pesticides in Oatmeal by UHPLC-MS/MS A P P L I C A T I O N N O T E