Dispersive SPE (dSPE), often referred to as the "QuEChERS" method (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe), is modern sample prep technique that is becoming increasingly popular in the area of multi-residue pesticide analysis in food and agricultural products.

Using the QuEChERS method, food/agricultural samples are first extracted with an aqueous miscible solvent (e.g., acetonitrile) in the presence of high amounts of salts (e.g., sodium chloride and magnesium sulfate) and/or buffering agents (e.g. citrate) to induce liquid phase separation and stabilize acid and base labile pesticides, respectively. Upon shaking and centrifugation, an aliquot of the organic phase is subjected to further cleanup using SPE. Unlike traditional methods using SPE tubes, in dispersive SPE, cleanup is facilitated by mixing bulk amounts of SPE (e.g., Supelclean PSA, ENVI-Carb, and/or Discovery DSC-18) with the extract. After sample cleanup, the mixture is centrifuged and the resulting supernatant can either be analyzed directly or can be subjected to minor further treatment before analysis.

Supelco carries a line of vials and centrifuge tubes containing pre-determined amounts of salts and SPE sorbents to support the most common method configurations used today.

Supel^™ QuE Z-Sep products enhance sample cleanup for complex matrices by effectively removing more fat and color from sample extracts than traditional phases for QuEChERS methods. By eliminating problematic matrix interferences, Z-Sep products provide more robust LC-MS and GC-MS methods. This proprietary technology can replace C18 and PSA in your current methods without additional method development.

Z-Sep+ is recommended for cleanup of samples containing greater than 15% fat.
Z-Sep/C18 is recommended for cleanup of samples containing less than 15% fat.
Z-Sep is recommended for cleanup of samples prior to analysis of hydrophobic analytes.

Supel is a trademark of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC