Development of a PRiME cartridge purification method for rapid determination of malachite green and leucomalachite green in Chinese softshell turtle.

A high-throughput PRiME (process, robustness, improvements, matrix effects, ease of use) sample purification procedure was developed to simplify the multiple steps of traditional SPE in extracting the malachite green and leucomalachite green in Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis). The sample loading volume, extracting solvent type, and pH value of the employed PRiME hydrophilic-lipophilic balance cartridge for sample purification were optimized to be 3 mL, acetonitrile, and pH 5, respectively. In comparison with traditional SPE, the PRiME process is cost-effective, solvent-saving, and simple to operate, which only consists of a passing through step without traditional sorbent conditioning and impurity washing. Afterward, eluate was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and the proposed method was validated for linearity (R2 > 0.9992), intraday precision (2.44-3.22%), interday precision (3.28-6.58%), sensitivity (LOD ≤ 0.18 μg/kg and, LOQ ≤ 0.60 μg/kg), and recovery (88.7-94.1%, RSD < 6.79%). The results indicated that the PRiME technique can simplify the sample preparation procedure by avoiding the tedious steps, such as conditioning, washing, etc. It would be of significant interest for environmental and food safety applications in the market of Chinese softshell turtle and related products.