Evaluation of matrix solid‐phase dispersion extraction for 11 β‐agonists in swine feed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of 11 β‐agonists (clenbuterol, salbutamol, ractopamine, terbutaline, fenoterol, cimaterol, isoxsuprine, mabuterol, mapenterol, clenproperol, and tulobuterol) in swine feed. This rapid, simple, and effective extraction method was based on matrix solid‐phase dispersion. The limit of quantification of clenbuterol, cimaterol, mabuterol, salbutamol, terbutaline, mapenterol, clenproperol, and tulobuterol was 1 μg/kg and that of ractopamine, fenoterol, and isoxsuprine was 2 μg/kg. The recoveries of β‐agonists spiked in swine feeds at a concentration range of 1–8 μg/kg were >83.1% with relative standard deviations <9.3%. This rapid and reliable method can be used to efficiently separate, characterize, and quantify the residues of 11 β‐agonists in swine feeds with advantages of simple pretreatment and environmental friendliness.     

Rapid analysis of three β‐agonist residues in food of animal origin by automated on‐line solid‐phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry

An automated online solid‐phase extraction with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the detection of clenbuterol, salbutamol, and ractopamine in food of animal origin. The samples from the food matrix were pretreated with an online solid‐phase extraction cartridge by Oasis MCX for <5 min after acid hydrolysis for 30 min. The peak focusing mode was used to elute the target compounds directly onto a C₁₈ column. Chromatographic separation was achieved under gradient conditions using a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid in aqueous solution. Each analyte was detected in two multiple reaction monitoring transitions via an electrospray ionization source in a positive mode. The relative standard deviations ranged from 2.6 to 10.5%, and recovery was between 76.7 and 107.2% at all quality control levels. The limits of quantification of three β‐agonists were in the range of 0.024–0.29 μg/kg in pork, sausage, and milk powder, respectively. This newly developed method offers high sensitivity and minimum sample pretreatment for the high‐throughput analysis of β‐agonist residues.     

Development of an ASE‐GC‐MS/MS method for detecting dinitolmide and its metabolite 3‐ANOT in eggs

An accelerated solvent extraction coupled with gas chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (ASE‐GC‐MS/MS) method for detecting dinitolmide residue and its metabolite (3‐amino‐2‐methyl‐5‐nitrobenzamide, 3‐ANOT) in eggs was developed and optimized. The samples were extracted using ASE with acetonitrile as the extractant and were purified by passage through a neutral alumina solid‐phase extraction column. Then, the samples were analyzed using the GC‐MS/MS method. The optimized method parameters were validated according to the requirements set forth by the European Union and the Food and Drug Administration. The average recoveries of dinitolmide and 3‐ANOT from eggs (egg white, egg yolk, and whole egg) at the limit of quantification (LOQ), 0.5 maximum residue limit (MRL), 1 MRL, and 2 MRL were 82.74% to 87.49%, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 4.63%, and the intra‐day RSDs and the inter‐day RSDs were 2.96% to 5.21% and 3.94% to 6.34%, respectively. The limits of detection and the LOQ were 0.8 to 2.8 μg/kg and 3.0 to 10.0 μg/kg, respectively. The decision limits (CC_α) were 3001.69 to 3006.48 μg/kg, and the detection capabilities (CC_β) were 3001.74 to 3005.22 μg/kg. Finally, the new method was successfully applied to the quantitative determination of dinitolmide and 3‐ANOT in 50 commercial eggs from local supermarkets.     

Multiplug filtration clean‐up with multiwalled carbon nanotubes in the analysis of pesticide residues using LC–ESI‐MS/MS

A novel design for a rapid clean‐up method was developed for the analysis of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables followed by LC–ESI‐MS/MS. The acetonitrile‐based sample extraction technique was used to obtain the extracts, and further clean‐up was carried out by applying the streamlined procedure on a multiplug filtration clean‐up column coupled with a syringe. The sorbent used for clean‐up in this research is multiwalled carbon nanotubes, which was mixed with anhydrous magnesium sulfate to remove water from the extracts. This method was validated on 40 representative pesticides and apple, cabbage, and potato sample matrices spiked at two concentration levels of 10 and 100 μg/kg. It exhibited recoveries between 71 and 117% for most pesticides with RSDs < 15%. Matrix‐matched calibrations were performed with the coefficients of determination >0.995 for most studied pesticides between concentration levels of 10–500 μg/L. The LOQs for 40 pesticides ranged from 2 to 50 μg/kg. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of pesticide residues in market fruit and vegetable samples.     

Investigation of ractopamine‐imprinted polymer for dispersive solid‐phase extraction of trace β‐agonists in pig tissues

Ractopamine, as an alternative β‐agonist to clenbuterol, is more and more used as leanness‐enhancing agent in the swine industry. This work presents a new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) using ractopamine as template for dispersive solid‐phase extraction of trace ractopamine and the structural related β‐agonists in animal tissues. The binding properties and selectivity of MIP were investigated. High selectivity in polar environment was found, since the extraction capacity of ractopamine with the MIP was 4.5‐fold as much as that with the non‐imprinted polymer in acetonitrile. Cross‐selectivity investigation indicates that the MIP preferentially binds the template and then the structural analogues according to their molecular similarity. Thermodynamic and kinetic investigation was performed to interpret the specific adsorption and molecular recognition of the MIP for ractopamine. Standard free energy, standard enthalpy, and standard entropy were determined. Related information suggested that adsorption of ractopamine onto MIP was an exothermic, spontaneous process. The MIP can be applied as dispersive solid‐phase extraction material for enrichment of ractopamine, isoxsuprine, fenoterol and clenbuterol in complex samples before HPLC analysis. The method revealed detection limits of 0.20–0.90 μg/L, recoveries of 83.8–115.2 and 85.2–110.2% for the spiked pig muscle and pig liver, respectively, with the RSD from 2.5 to 8.8%.     

Targeted analysis and determination of β‐agonists,hormones, glucocorticoid and psychiatric drugs in feed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A comprehensive strategy combining a quantitative method was developed for 30 banned drugs including β‐agonists, hormones, glucocorticoid and psychiatric drugs in swine and chicken feeds. This rapid, simple and effective extraction method was based on matrix solid‐phase dispersion and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The quantitative method was validated after previous statistical optimization of the main parameters of matrix solid‐phase dispersion. The limit of quantification of dopamine hydrochloride, chlormadinone acetate, melengestrol acetate, testosterone propionate, nandrolone and midazolam was 2 μg/kg and that of the other 24 drugs was 1 μg/kg. The recoveries of β‐agonists, hormones, glucocorticoid and psychiatric drugs spiked in swine and chicken feeds at a concentration range of 1–8 μg/kg were above 70.1% with inter‐day relative standard deviations less than 15.8%. The analytical strategy was applied to 100 feed samples collected from a local market in Wuhan (China). Clenbuterol, ractopamine and melengestrol acetate were identified and quantified at the level 0.2～3.5 μg/kg. The rapid and reliable method can be used to efficiently separate, characterize and quantify the residues of 30 banned drugs in swine and chicken feeds with advantages of simple pretreatment and environmental friendly nature.     

Development and validation of a UHPLC‐MS/MS bioanalytical method to quantify in plasma the analgesic candidate PT‐31 following a preliminary pharmacokinetic study in rats

A selective and sensitive UHPLC‐MS/MS bioanalytical method to determine PT‐31, an analgesic drug candidate, in rat plasma was developed and validated. Analyses were performed using a UHPLC‐MS/MS system equipped with an electrospray ionization interface operating in the positive ionization mode using a C₁₈ reversed‐phase column with a mobile phase of water:acetonitrile (68:31, v/v) containing 0.1% acetic acid eluting in a gradient mode with a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Plasma samples were deproteinized with cold acetonitrile containing 0.01% TFA (1:2, v/v) and 50 μL of the supernatant were injected into the system. PT‐31 and phenytoin (internal standard) retention times were roughly 1.0 and 1.5 min, respectively. Linear standard curves were plotted for the 0.01–10 µg/mL concentration range, with a coefficient of determination > 0.99. The method's precision was over 88%. Maximum intra‐ and inter‐day relative standard deviations were 14.6% and 11.6%, respectively. Interfering substances were not detected in the chromatogram, indicating that the method was specific. PT‐31 stability was assessed under different temperature and storage settings. The method was used to characterize PT‐31 plasma pharmacokinetics following administration of 5 mg/kg i.v. to Wistar rats. Therefore, the method described is sensitive, linear, precise and specific enough to determine PT‐31 in preclinical pharmacokinetic investigations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fast quantification of cyclophosfamide and its N‐dechloroethylated metabolite 2‐dechloroethylcyclophosphamide in human plasma by UHPLC‐MS/MS

A rapid, novel and reliable UHPLC‐MS/MS method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of cyclophosphamide (CP) and its dechloroethylated metabolite, 2‐dechloroethylcyclosphamide (2‐DCECP) in human plasma. The plasma samples were conducted by protein precipitation with 3‐fold acetonitrile, containing 0.1% formic acid. Mass spectrometric detection was performed using electrospray positive ionization with multiple reaction monitoring mode, using tinidazole as internal standard (IS). Chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent poroshell 120 SB‐C₁₈ column (2.1 × 75 mm, 2.7 µm) using gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min, the total run time was 2.5 min. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 20 ng/mL for both CP and 2‐DCECP. Accuracies and precisions were <15% at LOQ and below 10% at quality control concentration levels. This UHPLC‐MS/MS method was successfully applied for the estimation of CP and 2‐DCECP in human plasma, which was also useful for clinical toxicology studies and therapeutic drug monitoring of CP. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of ergot alkaloids from grains with UPLC‐MS/MS

A simple and rapid method for determining six ergot alkaloids and four of their respective epimers was developed for rye and wheat. The analytes were extracted from the sample matrix with ACN/ammonium carbonate solution. The extract was purified with a commercial push‐through SPE column (Mycosep^® 150 Ergot). After concentration and filtration steps, the final separation of the analytes was achieved with ultra‐performance LC‐MS/MS. The chromatographic separation of the ergot alkaloids was achieved in 4.5 min. The method performance proved satisfactory in the preliminary validation. The calculated LOQs were low ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 μg/kg for wheat and from 0.01 to 10.0 μg/kg for rye. At the concentration levels of 10, 50 and 200 μg/kg, the recoveries were between 80 and 120% in most cases and the within‐day repeatability (expressed as RSD) ranged between 1.3 and 13.9%. Despite the cleanup of the samples, some matrix effect was observed in the MS, highlighting the necessity of using matrix‐assisted standards. This is the first article to describe the application of the push‐through columns and ultra‐performance LC in the analysis of ergot alkaloids.     

Selective 17‐β‐estradiol molecular imprinting

An efficient novel method for the synthesis of a covalent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) highly specific to β‐estradiol have been developed. MIP prepared by both covalent and non covalent techniques, demonstrated high selectivity toward β‐estradiol. MIPs were synthesized by radical polymerization of 17‐β‐estradiol 4‐vinyl‐benzene carboxyl or sulfonyl esters used as covalent functional monomers, methacrylic acid as noncovalent functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinking agent, and acetonitrile as swelling and porogenic component. Almost 35% (w/w) of 17‐β‐estradiol was successfully removed from the polymer network by basic hydrolysis. The binding ability of MIP was 10.73 μg/mg MIP following removal of 17‐β‐estradiol in the 2 mg/mL β‐estradiol solution. Selective rebinding of β‐estradiol toward MIP was tested in the presence of competitive binders including estrone, 19‐nortestosterone, epiandrosterone, and cholesterol. Estrone having closest similar chemical structure to β‐estradiol exhibited only 0.6 μg/mg MIP competitive binding, being exposed to equivalent concentrations. Moreover, other competitive steroids demonstrated negligible affinity toward MIP indicating high selectivity of novel MIP system toward β‐estradiol. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5534–5542, 2009     

New sulfonate composite functionalized with multiwalled carbon nanotubes with cryogel solid‐phase extraction sorbent for the determination of β‐agonists in animal feeds

A new mixed‐mode cation‐exchange sulfonate composite functionalized with multiwalled carbon nanotubes with polyvinyl alcohol cryogel was fabricated and used for the first time as a solid‐phase extraction sorbent for the determination of β‐agonists in animal feeds. Feed samples were extracted with 0.20 M phosphoric acid and methanol (1:4, v/v) using ultrasonication, cleaned‐up using the developed sorbent to which the β‐agonists bound then finally eluted with 5.0% ammonia in methanol and analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Various parameters that affected the extraction efficiency were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the developed sorbent strongly interacted with β‐agonists by cationic exchange and hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions, that provided a high extraction efficiency in the range of 92.8 ± 3.7–104.4 ± 2.3% over a range of 0.04–2.0 mg/kg for salbutamol and ractopamine, and 0.40–8.0 mg/kg for clenbuterol. The relative standard deviations were less than 6.0%. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of β‐agonists in various types of animal feed and effectively reduced any matrix interference.     

猪肝中β-受体激动剂多残留的样品前处理方法比较及同时检测

比较了乙酸铵提取法(即农业部1025号公告-18-2008方法)、乙腈直接提取法及10%碳酸钠-乙腈溶液提取法对猪肝脏中9种β-受体激动剂残留的提取效果。结果表明,乙酸铵提取法对非诺特罗和喷布特罗等药物的回收率较低(小于20%);乙腈直接提取法可有效提取出喷布特罗,其回收率达79%,但对非诺特罗的回收率仅为32%;而10%碳酸钠-乙腈溶液提取9种药物的效果明显好于其他两种方法,除了非诺特罗的回收率为72%外,其他8种药物的回收率均在80%以上。基于此,建立了猪肝脏中9种β-受体激动剂残留检测的高效液相色谱-串联质谱法。在优化条件下,9种药物在0.50～25μg/kg范围内线性关系良好,相关系数(r)均大于0.99;在0.50、2.0、10μg/kg 3个加标水平的回收率为71%～105%,相对标准偏差均小于15%;9种药物的检出限均达0.2μg/kg。方法的准确度和精密度达到残留分析要求。     

A sensitive non‐aqueous capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometric method for multiresidue analyses of β‐agonists in pork

Non‐aqueous capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry (NACE‐MS) was developed for trace analyses of β‐agonists (i.e. clenbuterol, salbutamol and terbutaline) in pork. The NACE was in 18 mM ammonium acetate in methanol–acetonitrile–glacial acetic acid (66 : 33 : 1, v/v/v) using a voltage of 28 kV. The hyphenation of CE with a time‐of‐flight MS was performed by electrospray ionization interface employing 5 mM ammonium acetate in methanol–water (80 : 20, v/v) as the sheath liquid at a flow rate of 2 μL/min. Method sensitivity was enhanced by a co‐injection technique (combination of hydrodynamic and electrokinetic injection) using a pressure of 50 mbar and a voltage of 10 kV for 12 s. The method was validated in comparison with HPLC–MS‐MS. The NACE‐MS procedure provided excellent detection limits of 0.3 ppb for all analytes. Method linearity was good (r² > 0.999, in a range of 0.8–1000 ppb for all analytes). Precision showed %RSDs of <17.7%. Sample pre‐treatment was carried out by solid‐phase extraction using mixed mode reversed phase/cation exchange cartridges yielding recoveries between 69 and 80%. The NACE‐MS could be successfully used for the analysis of β‐agonists in pork samples and results showed no statistical differences from the values reported by the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand using HPLC‐MS‐MS method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LC‐MS/MS determination of pogostone in rat plasma and its application in pharmacokinetic studies

Pogostone is an important constituent of Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth., and possesses various known bioactivities. A rapid, simple and sensitive liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of pogostone in rat plasma using chrysophanol as internal standard (IS). The analytes were extracted with methanol and separated using a reversed‐phase YMC‐UltraHT Pro C₁₈ column. Elution was achieved with a mobile phase consisting of methanol–water (75:25, v/v) for 5 min at a flow rate of 400 μL/min. The precursor/product transitions (m/z) under MS/MS detection with negative electrospray ionization (ESI) were 223.0 → 139.0 and 253.1 → 224.9 for pogostone and IS, respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range 0.05–160 µg/mL (r = 0.9996). The intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy and precision were within ±10%. The validated method was successfully applied to the preclinical pharmacokinetic investigation of pogostone in rats after intravenous (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) and oral administration (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg). Finally, the oral absolute bioavailability of pogostone in rats was calculated to be 70.39, 78.18 and 83.99% for 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, respectively. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and validation of a bioanalytical method by LC‐MS/MS for the quantification of the LAFIS 10 – an antimalarial candidate – and its pharmacokinetics first evaluation

A rapid and highly sensitive method by LC‐MS/MS was developed and validated for the quantification of an antimalarial candidate (LAFIS10) in rat plasma using dexamethasone as internal standard (IS). The chromatographic separation was performed with a Poroshell 120 EC‐C₁₈ column. The mobile phase consisted of water (A) and acetonitrile (B), both containing 10 m m of ammonium formate and 0.1% formic acid, delivered in the form of elution gradient. The LAFIS10 was monitored using an electrospray ionization interface operating in the positive mode in multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions 681.47 → 538.2 for LAFIS10 and 393.20 → 355.30 for the IS. The flow rate was 500 μL/min. The column temperature was kept at 40 °C and the injection volume was 2 μL. The lower limit of quantification was of 10 ng/mL and linearity between 10 and 1000 ng/mL was observed, with an R² > 0.99. The accuracy of the method was >90%. The relative standard deviations intra‐ and interday were <8.80 and <6.37%, respectively. The method showed sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and selectivity required to quantify LAFIS 10 in preclinical pharmacokinetic studies according to criteria established by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A rapid MCM‐41 dispersive micro‐solid phase extraction coupled with LC/MS/MS for quantification of ketoconazole and voriconazole in biological fluids

A rapid dispersive micro‐solid phase extraction (D‐μ‐SPE) combined with LC/MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of ketoconazole and voriconazole in human urine and plasma samples. Synthesized mesoporous silica MCM‐41 was used as sorbent in d ‐μ‐SPE of the azole compounds from biological fluids. Important D‐μ‐SPE parameters, namely type desorption solvent, extraction time, sample pH, salt addition, desorption time, amount of sorbent and sample volume were optimized. Liquid chromatographic separations were carried out on a Zorbax SB‐C₁₈ column (2.1 × 100 mm, 3.5 μm), using a mobile phase of acetonitrile–0.05% formic acid in 5 mm ammonium acetate buffer (70:30, v /v). A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with positive ionization mode was used for the determination of target analytes. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration curves showed good linearity in the range of 0.1–10,000 μg/L with satisfactory limit of detection (≤0.06 μg/L) and limit of quantitation (≤0.3 μg/L). The proposed method also showed acceptable intra‐ and inter‐day precisions for ketoconazole and voriconazole from urine and human plasma with RSD ≤16.5% and good relative recoveries in the range 84.3–114.8%. The MCM‐41‐D‐μ‐SPE method proved to be rapid and simple and requires a small volume of organic solvent (200 μL); thus it is advantageous for routine drug analysis.     

A fast and accurate isotope dilution GC‐IT‐MS/MS method for determination of eugenol in different tissues of fish: Application to a depletion study in mandarin fish

An accurate, rapid and effective method was established for determination of eugenol in plasma, muscle, skin, liver, kidney and gill of fish using gas chromatography–ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. Samples of muscle, skin, liver, kidney and gill were prepared using the modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) procedure, and a plasma sample was prepared by a liquid–liquid extraction procedure. Eugenol was monitored in <7 min using an electron‐ionization source in MS/MS mode and quantified by an internal standard of eugenol‐d₃. The limit of detection was 5.0 μg/kg, and the limit of quantification was 10.0 μg/kg. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 5–1000 μg/L (R² = 0.9996). Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions of eugenol expressed as relative standard deviation were within 9.74%, and the accuracy exhibited a relative error ranging from −2.20 to 8.89%. The developed method was successfully used to study the elimination regularity of eugenol in mandarin fish.     

Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and β‐cyclodextrin for magnetic solid‐phase extraction of carbaryl and carbofuran

In this study, porous sandwich structure Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles coated by polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and β‐cyclodextrin were prepared by surface polymerization and were used as the magnetic solid phase extraction adsorbent for the extraction and determination of carbaryl and carbofuran. The Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles coated with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and β‐cyclodextrin were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, vibrating sample magnetometry, and scanning electron microscopy. After optimizing the extraction conditions, a method that combined magnetic solid phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography was developed for the determination of carbaryl and carbofuran in apple. The method exhibited a good linearity in the range of 2–400 μg/kg for carbaryl and carbofuran (R² = 0.9995), respectively. The limits of detection were 0.5 μg/kg of carbaryl and 0.7 μg/kg for carbofuran in apple, respectively. Extraction recoveries ranged from 94.2 to 103.1% with the preconcentration factor of 300 and the relative standard deviations were less than 5.9%. These results indicated that the method combined magnetic solid phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography and was promising for the determination of carbaryl and carbofuran at trace amounts.     

Development and validation of a sensitive LC/MS/MS method for the determination of γ‐tocotrienol in rat plasma: application to pharmacokinetic studies

γ‐Tocotrienol has attracted much attention owing to its multiple health benefits. This study developed and validated a simple, specific, sensitive and reliable LC/MS/MS method to analyze γ‐tocotrienol in rat plasma. Plasma samples (50 μL) were extracted with internal standard solution (25 ng/mL of itraconazole) in acetonitrile (200 μL) with an average recovery of 44.7% and an average matrix effect of ?2.9%. The separation of γ‐tocotrienol and internal standard from the plasma components was achieved with a Waters XTerra® MS C₁₈ column with acetonitrile–water as mobile phase. Analysis was performed under positive ionization electrospray mass spectrometer via the multiple reaction monitoring. The standard curve was linear over a concentration range of 10–1000 ng/mL with correlation coefficient values >0.997. The method was validated with intra‐ and inter‐day accuracy (relative error) ranging from 1.79 to 9.17% and from 2.16 to 9.66%, respectively, and precision (coefficient of variation) ranged from 1.94 to 9.25% and from 2.37 to 10.08%, respectively. Short‐term stability, freeze–thaw stability and the processed sample stability tests were performed. This method was further applied to analyze γ‐tocotrienol plasma concentrations in rats at various time points after administration of a 2 mg/kg single intravenous dose, and a pharmacokinetic profile was successfully obtained. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of veterinary drug residues in cheese by ultra‐high‐performance LC coupled to triple quadrupole MS/MS

A simple, reliable, and fast multiresidue method has been developed for the determination of 17 veterinary drugs belonging to several families (macrolides, sulfonamides, and anthelmintics) in cheese at trace levels. Ultra‐high‐performance LC coupled to MS/MS has been used for the analysis of these compounds in less than 9 min. Veterinary drug residues have been extracted from cheese samples using a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe)‐based extraction procedure without applying any further clean‐up step. Matrix‐matched calibration was used for quantification and recoveries were calculated at three concentration levels (10, 50, and 100 μg/kg). The obtained values ranged from 70 to 110% for the selected compounds except for tylosin and josamycin at 100 μg/kg (111.7 and 112.7%, respectively). Intra‐ and interday precision were also evaluated and RSDs were lower than 25% in all the cases. LOQs ranged from 0.3 μg/kg (for thiabendazole, oxfendazole, mebendazole, josamycin, and fenbendazole) to 10.5 μg/kg (abamectin), whereas decision limit and detection capability ranged from 2.3 (thiabendazole) to 11.3 (abamectin) and 4.2 (thiabendazole) to 14.3 μg/kg (abamectin), respectively. Finally, 13 samples were analyzed and traces of thiabendazole were detected in two different cheeses.