García-Cansino, LauraÁngeles García, MaríaMarina, María LuisaCâmara, José S.Pereira, Jorge A. M.Câmara, JoséAugusto Machado Pereira, Jorge2025-03-142025-03-142023-062405-8440http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/7209Food contamination with pesticides poses significant risks to consumer safety and undermines confidence in food supply chains. Detecting pesticides in food samples is a challenging task that requires efficient extraction techniques. This study aims to compare and validate two micro extraction techniques, μSPEed and μQuEChERS-dSPE, for the simultaneous extraction of eight pesticides (paraquat, thiabendazole, asulam, picloram, ametryn, atrazine, linuron, and cymox anil) from wastewater samples. A good analytical performance was obtained for both method ologies, with selectivity, linearity in the range 0.5–150 mg L− 1 with coefficients of determination up to 0.9979, limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranging from 0.02 to 0.05 mg L− 1 and from 0.06 to 0.17 mg L− 1 , respectively, precision below 14.7 mg L− 1 , and re coveries from wastewater samples in the range of 66.1–99.9%. The developed methodologies are simpler, faster, and require less sample and solvent volumes than conventional methodologies, having a lower impact on the environment. Nevertheless, the μSPEed approach was found to be more efficient, easier to perform, and with a higher greener profile. This study highlights the potential of microextraction techniques for the analysis of pesticide residues in food and envi ronmental samples. Overall, it presents a fast and efficient method for the analysis of pesticides in wastewater samples, which can be useful for monitoring and controlling pesticide contamination in the environment.engPesticidesMicroextractionμSPEedμQuEChERSWastewaterSample preparationUltrahigh-performance liquid chromatographyResidue analysisEnvironmental monitoringEU legislationMaximum residue levelsValidation.Centro de Química da MadeiraFaculdade de Ciências Exatas e da Engenhariajournal article10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16742