Evolution and applications of the QuEChERS method

It is widely recognized that the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method is relevant in pesticide residue analysis. Many official laboratories around the globe are routinely using it due to the advantages encapsulated in its name. However, the frontiers of the application of QuEChERS are not yet established. The method is effective for the analysis of other groups of compounds, including pharmaceuticals, mycotoxins, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in a wide variety of complex matrices. This review article provides a general overview of the most relevant modifications of the QuEChERS method that have been widely accepted and applied (including both extraction and clean-up) and a general view of the different groups of compounds to which it has been fruitfully applied. We do not include those approaches where only half the method has been used.