Validation of a Biacore method for screening eight sulfonamides in milk and porcine muscle tissues according to European decision 2002/657/EC

Sulfonamides are commonly used for prophylactic or therapeutic purposes in veterinary medicine. A maximum residue limit (MRL) for sulfonamides has been set at 100 microg/kg in milk and muscle. A multisulfonamide antibody was used for the development of 2 different Biacore protocols, one for the screening of milk samples, the other for muscle samples. Two different Biacore systems were used: Biacore X system (milk protocol), which is considered a research and development apparatus, and Biacore 3000 system (muscle protocol), which is a completely automated system used for high-throughput screening. This report describes the validation of semiquantitative immunological methods according to the European Decision 2002/657/EC "concerning the performance of analytical methods." The different performance characteristics (detection capability CCbeta, specificity/selectivity, precision, stability, and applicability) were determined in relation to the European Union MRL of 100 microg/kg for sulfonamides. The applicability of the method to porcine, bovine, and poultry muscle was studied. The detection capabilities CCbeta were calculated to be 40 microg/L in milk and 60 microg/kg in porcine, bovine, and poultry muscles. Eight different sulfonamides, of which 3 (sulfamethazine, sulfamerazine, and sulfadiazine) are authorized in France, were detected simultaneously, at or below the MRL level, with both Biacore systems.     

Optimization of a solid-phase extraction procedure in the fluorimetric determination of sulfonamides in milk using the second-order advantage of PARAFAC and D-optimal design

The objective of this work is to optimize a solid-phase extraction procedure for the simultaneous determination of sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, and sulfamethazine in milk by fluorimetric detection. For this task, an alternative strategy is employed, which allows one to reduce noticeably the number of experiments without losing the quality of the estimations. It consists of the use of a D-optimal design together with PARAFAC decomposition for the calculation of the response in the experimental design. Effects of amount of cartridge sorbent, kind of milk, volume of conditioning solutions, kind of wash and elution, and kind of mixture of sulfonamides have been evaluated, for maximizing sulfonamide mean recovery and minimizing its standard deviation. Since milk without sulfonamides may give some matrix effect over the fluorescence signal, its behavior has also been studied. Optimal conditions have been selected where the ratio between sulfonamide recovery and milk without sulfonamides was the highest, which are 500 mg of cartridge sorbent, acid wash, and elution and 3 mL of conditioning solutions. The type of milk and mixture of sulfonamides not significant. This makes the procedure suitable for the combined determination of sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, and sulfamethazine in any kind of milk. Finally, an experimental procedure is proposed, obtaining a sulfonamide mean recovery equal to 68.5% with values of standard deviation between 7 and 8 μg kg⁻¹.     

Dispersive solid-phase extraction for the determination of sulfonamides in chicken muscle by liquid chromatography

A new, fast and low-cost sample preparation for the determination of sulfonamide (SA) residues in chicken muscle by LC technique has been developed. The procedure involves single extraction of sample with acetonitrile, followed by a rapid clean-up and was called "dispersive solid-phase extraction" (dispersive SPE). Using dispersive SPE 25 mg of octadecyl sorbent was added to 1 ml of acetonitrile extract, mixed and centrifuged. The acetonitrile layer was evaporated and residue was dissolved in acetate buffer (pH 3.5). Analysed compounds were detected by fluorescence detector after pre-column derivatization with fluorescamine. The separation of analytes was performed with gradient elution with mobile phase methanol: 2% acetic acid and RP-LC analytical column. The whole procedure was evaluated for six sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfametoxypirydazine, sulfametoxazole and sulfadimetoxine) according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Specificity, decision limit (CCalpha), detection capacity (CCbeta), trueness and precision were determined during validation process. The dispersive SPE with octadecyl sorbent was found suitable for sample preparation before sulfonamide determination in chicken muscle. As it was found the most of endogenous matrix components were removed and the analytes were isolated from spiked samples with recoveries above 90%. The used analytical conditions allow to successively separate all the tested sulfonamides with the limit of detection at the level of 1-5 microg/kg. The method is simple, rapid and more effective than conventional methods.     

Polypyrrole/silica/magnetite nanoparticles as a sorbent for the extraction of sulfonamides from water samples

A magnetic solid‐phase extraction sorbent of polypyrrole/silica/magnetite nanoparticles was successfully synthesized and applied for the extraction and preconcentration of sulfonamides in water samples. The magnetite nanoparticles provided a simple and fast separation method for the analytes in water samples. The silica coating increased the surface area that helped to increase the polypyrrole layer. The polypyrrole‐coated silica provided a high extraction efficiency due to the π–π and hydrophobic interactions between the polypyrrole and sulfonamides. Several parameters that affected the extraction efficiencies, i.e. the amount of sorbent, pH of the sample, extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength, and desorption conditions were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the method was linear over the range of 0.30–200 μg/L for sulfadiazine and sulfamerazine, and 1.0–200 μg/L for sulfamethazine and sulfamonomethoxine. The limit of detection was 0.30 μg/L for sulfadiazine and sulfamerazine and 1.0 μg/L for sulfamethazine and sulfamonomethoxine. This simple and rapid method was successfully applied to efficiently extract sulfonamides from water samples. It showed a high extraction efficiency for all tested sulfonamides, and the recoveries were in the range of 86.7–99.7% with relative standard deviations of < 6%.     

Validation of a confirmatory method for the determination of sulphonamides in muscle according to the European Union regulation 2002/657/EC

A simple multiresidue method is described for assaying 10 sulphonamides (SAs) (sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfamonomethoxine, sulfachlorpyridazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfaquinoxaline and sulfadimethoxine) in muscle samples. Samples were prepared by homogenizing the tissue, extracting with ethyl acetate and cleaning up with a cation-exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) column. The detection of analytes was achieved by HPLC-diode array detection (DAD) at 270 nm. The procedure was validated according to the European Union regulation 2002/657/EC determining specificity, decision limit, detection capability, trueness and precision. The results of validation process demonstrate that the method is suitable for application in European Union statutory veterinary drug residue surveillance programmes.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定调制乳中3种磺胺类药物残留

建立了一种超高效液相色谱-串联质谱测定调制乳中磺胺嘧啶、磺胺甲基嘧啶和磺胺二甲基嘧啶残留的方法。调制乳经1%(v/v)乙酸水溶液和甲醇提取、沉淀蛋白质,HLB固相萃柱萃取净化处理后上机检测。采用ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3色谱柱,以0.1%(v/v)甲酸水溶液和乙腈为流动相进行梯度洗脱,使用电喷雾离子源,在正离子模式下进行数据采集。采用基质标准样品添加法绘制标准曲线,外标法定量,方法的定量限为1 μg/kg。在1~100 μg/L范围内3种磺胺类药物标准曲线的线性关系良好(相关系数(R²)≥0.998);在1、2和10 μg/kg 3个加标水平下,方法的回收率为76.5%~101.9%,相对标准偏差为1.2%~12.4%。该方法简便、快速、实用、准确,各项技术指标满足国内外法规的要求,可用于调制乳中磺胺类药物残留的确证检测。     

Validation Method for the Determination of Sulfonamide Residues in Bovine Milk by HPLC

A simple, rapid, sensitive and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of eight sulfonamides (SAs) in bovine milk was developed (sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxypyridazine, sufamonomethoxine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadimethoxine and sulfaquinoxaline) in bovine milk was developed. Samples were prepared by extraction with ethyl acetate and cleaning-up with an anion solid-phase extraction (SPE) column. Analytical separation was performed on an Inertsil ODS-3 column with photodiode-array detection at 270 nm under gradient condition. The whole procedure was evaluated according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Specificity, decision limit (CCα), detection capacity (CCβ), trueness and precision were determined during the validation process. It was found that the analytes were isolated from spiked samples with good recoveries between 70.5 and 89.0%. The used analytical conditions allow to successively separating all the tested sulfonamides with good limit of detection between 0.8 and 1.5 μg L⁻¹.     

Multiresidue determination of sulfonamides in a variety of biological matrices by supported liquid membrane with high pressure liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry detection

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) was used for a simultaneous determination of 16 sulfonamide compounds spiked in water, urine, milk, and bovine liver and kidney tissues. Supported liquid membrane (SLM) made up of 5% tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) dissolved in hexyl amine was used as a sample clean-up and/or enrichment technique. The sulfonamides mixture was made up of 5-sulfaminouracil, sulfaguanidine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamerazine, sulfamethizole, sulfamethazine (sulfadimidine), sulfacetamide, sulfapyridine, sulfabenzamide, sulfamethoxypyridazine, sulfamonomethoxine, sulfadimethoxine sulfasalazine, sulfaquinoxaline, sulfadiazine, and sulfathiazole. Some of these compounds, such as, sulfaquinoxaline, sulfadiazine, sulfabenzamide, sulfathiazole and sulfapyridine failed to be trapped efficiently by the same liquid membrane (5% TOPO in hexylamine). The detection limits (DL) obtained were 1.8 ppb for sulfaguanidine and sulfamerazine and between 3.3 and 10 ppb in bovine liver and kidney tissues for the other sulfonamides that were successfully enriched with SLM; 2.1 ppb for sulfaguanidine and sulfamerazine and between 7.5 and 15 ppb in cow’s urine, whereas the DL values in milk were 12.4 ppb for sulfaguanidine and sulfamerazine and between 16.8 and 24.3 for the other compounds that were successfully enriched by the membrane. Several factors affecting the extraction efficiency during SLM enrichment, such as donor pH, acceptor pH, enrichment time and the membrane solvent were studied.     

Simple and rapid determination of sulfonamides in milk using Ether-type column liquid chromatography

A simplified and rapid determining/identifying method for residual sulfonamides (SAs) in milk by using Ether-type stationary phase, which made in our lab, was presented. The target analytes were extracted by mixing with ethanol-acetic acid (97:3, v/v) followed by centrifugation. The procedure used a Ether-type C8 column, isocratic elution with acetonitrile-water (5:95, v/v), and a photo-diode array detector. The linear range of determination was 50-10,000 μg/L for sulfanilamide and 100-10,000 μg/L for sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine. Average recoveries of four SAs (spiked 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 μg/mL) ranged from 80.1% to 87.6%, with relative standard deviations between 3.4% and 5.8%. The total time and solvent required for the analysis of one sample were <15 min and <1.0 mL of ethanol and 0.6 mL of acetonitrile, respectively. The developed procedure was nearly harmless to the human and environment.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic procedure for routine residue monitoring of seven sulfonamides in milk

A simplified method for routine monitoring of 7 residual sulfonamides (SAs) (sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfamerazine (SMR), sulfadimidine (SDD), sulfamonomethoxine (SMM), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), sulfadimethoxine (SDM), and sulfaquinoxaline (SQ)) in milk using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a photodiode array detector is described. The spiked and blank samples were cleaned up by using an Ultrafree-MC/PL centrifugal ultrafiltration unit. For determination/identification, a Mightysil RP-4 GP column and a mobile phase of 25% (v/v) ethanol in water with a photodiode array detector were used. Average recoveries from milk samples spiked with 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 microg mL(-1) of each drug were >82%. The inter- and intra-assay variabilities were 2.0-3.1%. The practical detection limits for 7 SAs were 0.005-0.02 microg mL(-1). The total time and amount of solvent required for the analysis of one sample were <40 min and <6 mL of ethanol, respectively. No toxic solvents were used.     

Optimization and Validation of a Confirmatory Method for Determination of Ten Sulfonamides in Feeds by LC and UV-Diode Array Detection

A simple, rapid, and reliable multiresidue method, based on liquid chromatography (LC) and ultraviolet (UV)-diode array detection (DAD), is described for assaying ten sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxypyridazine, sulfamonomethoxine, sulfachloropyridazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfaquinoxaline, and sulfadimethoxine) in feeds. The chromatographic separation is accomplished using a C18 column, eluted with a mobile phase consisting of acetate buffer, acetonitrile, and methanol. The sample preparation requires a simple extraction with chloroform/acetone and a purification step by solid-phase extraction. The analytical parameters of precision, detection and quantification limits, recovery, and ruggedness have been evaluated by a validation procedure following the European guidelines of Regulation 882/2004/EC and Decision 657/2002/EC.     

超高效液相色谱法检测化妆品中的12种磺胺抗生素

建立了采用超高效液相色谱(UPLC)-二极管阵列检测器（PDA）测定化妆品中12种常见的磺胺抗生素(磺胺、磺胺间甲氧嘧啶、磺胺醋酰、磺胺甲基异唑、磺胺嘧啶、磺胺二甲异唑、磺胺噻唑、磺胺二甲氧嘧啶、磺胺甲基嘧啶、磺胺喹啉、磺胺二甲嘧啶、磺胺硝苯)的方法。采用Acquity UPLCTM BEHC C18 色谱柱(50 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm),流动相为乙腈/0.1%的甲酸水溶液,梯度洗脱。样品经提取、反萃取后,用UPLC-PDA进行分析检测,结合保留时间和紫外光谱进行定性分析,定量检测波长268 nm。12种磺胺的检出限(S/N=3)均为1 μg/g,定量下限(S/N=10)为2～3 μg/g,在1～25 mg/L(磺胺硝苯为0.5～12.5 mg/L)范围内,峰面积和质量浓度的线性关系良好(r>0.9997)。添加水平为40, 8 μg(磺胺硝苯为20, 4 μg)时,12种磺胺的平均回收率分别为86.8%～98.1%和80.1%～96.9%,相对标准偏差小于10%(n=6)。结果表明该方法简单,分离效果好,速度快,能够满足检测化妆品中12种常见的磺胺抗生素的需要。     

Development and validation of an HPLC confirmatory method for the determination of seven tetracycline antibiotics residues in milk according to the European Union Decision 2002/657/EC

An HPLC method with diode-array detection, at 355 nm, was developed and validated for the determination of seven tetracyclines (TCs) in milk: minocycline (MNC), TC, oxytetracycline (OTC), methacycline (MTC), demeclocycline (DMC), chlortetracycline (CTC), and doxycycline (DC). Oxalate buffer (pH 4) was used with 20% TCA as a deproteinization agent for the extraction of analytes from milk followed by SPE. The separation was achieved on an Inertsil ODS-3, 5 microm, 250 x 4 mm(2 )analytical column at ambient temperature. The mobile phase, a mixture of A: 0.01 M oxalic acid and B: CH(3)CN, was delivered using a gradient program. The procedure was validated according to the European Union decision 2002/657/EC determining selectivity, stability, decision limit, detection capability, accuracy, and precision. Mean recoveries of TCs from spiked milk samples (50, 100, and 200 ng/g) were 93.8-100.9% for MNC, 96.8-103.7% for OTC, 96.3-101.8% for TC, 99.4-107.2% for DMC, 99.4-102.9% for CTC, 96.3-102.7% for MTC, and 94.6-102.1% for DC. All RSD values were lower than 8.5%. The decision limits CC(a) calculated by spiking 20 blank milk samples at MRL (100 microg/kg) ranged from 101.25 to 105.84 microg/kg, while detection capability CC(b )from 103.94 to 108.88 microg/kg.     

固相萃取-高效液相色谱法同时测定牛奶中残留的9种磺胺类药物

建立了同时测定牛奶中残留的9种磺胺类药物的固相萃取-高效液相色谱分析方法。牛奶样品经磷酸盐缓冲液稀释后高速离心去除脂肪,过C18小柱,用水淋洗,甲醇洗脱,洗脱液经氮气吹干后用乙酸乙酯溶解,并过氨基固相萃取小柱净化,用正己烷及水淋洗,以甲醇-乙腈-水（含1%乙酸）(体积比为1∶1∶8)洗脱,洗脱液用于高效液相色谱分析。采用Inertsil ODS-3 C18柱分离,以水-乙酸和甲醇-乙腈为流动相进行梯度洗脱,二极管阵列检测器检测,外标法定量。9种磺胺类药物标准曲线的线性回归系数均在 0.9999 以上,线性范围为25～5000 μg/L,检出限为1.7～2.8 μg/L,定量限为5.7～9.2 μg/L。在10,20,40 μg/L 添加水平下的添加回收率为72.1%~88.3%,相对标准偏差为2.3%～5.0%。该方法具有快速、灵敏的特点,符合现行兽药残留分析的要求。     

Determination of eight sulfonamides in bovine kidney by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with on-line extraction and sample clean-up

A sensitive, high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric (i.e. mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry; LC/MS/MS) method with on-line extraction and sample clean-up for the screening and confirmation of residues of sulfonamides in kidney is described. The sulfonamides are extracted from homogenized kidney with methanol. After centrifugation of the extract, an aliquot of the extract is directly injected on the LC/MS/MS system with further extraction and clean-up of the sample on-line. Detection of the analytes was achieved by positive electrospray ionization (ESI) followed by multiple reaction monitoring. For each sulfonamide the collisional decomposition of the protonated molecule to a common, abundant fragment ion was monitored. The method has been validated for sulfadimethoxine, sulfaquinoxaline, sulfamethazine, sulfamerazine, sulfathiazole, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine and sulfapyridine. Calibration curves resulting from spiked blank kidney samples at the 10-200 microg/kg level showed good linear correlation. At the level of 50, 100 and 200 microg/kg both within- and between-day precision, as measured by relative standard deviation (RSD), were less than 16%. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 5 to 13.5 microg/kg. The recoveries ranged from 78 to 82%. The procedure provides a rapid, reliable and sensitive method for the determination of residues of sulfonamides in bovine kidney. The advantage of this method over existing methods is its decreased sample preparation and analysis time, which makes the method more suitable for routine analysis.     

Rapid determination of sulfonamides in milk samples using fluorescence spectroscopy and class modeling with n-way partial least squares

In this paper, a methodology to evaluate the probability of false non-compliance and false compliance for screening methods, which give first or second-order multivariate signals is proposed. For this task 120 samples of 6 different kinds of milk have been measured by excitation-emission fluorescence. The samples have been spiked with different amounts of three sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfamerazine and sulfamethazine). These substances have been classified in group B1 (veterinary medicines and contaminants) of annex I of Directive 96/23/EC. The European Union (Commission Regulation EC no. 281/96) has set the maximum residue level (MRL) of total sulfonamides at 100 μg kg⁻¹ in muscle, liver, kidney and milk.The work shows that excitation-emission fluorescence together with the partial least squares class modeling (PLS-CM) procedure may be a suitable and cheap screening method for the total amount of sulfonamides in milk. Three models, PLS-CM, have been built, for the emission and excitation spectra (first-order signals) and for the excitation-emission matrices (second-order signals). In all the cases it reaches probabilities of false compliance below 5% as required by Decision 2002/657/EC.With the same flourescence signals, the total quantity of sulfonamide was calibrated using 2-PLS, 3-PLS and PARAFAC regressions. Using this quantitative approach, the capability of detection, CCβ, around the MRL has been estimated between 114.3 and 115.1 μg kg⁻¹ for a probability of false non-compliance and false compliance equal to 5%.     

Development and validation of a solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of isopropyl-9H-thioxanthen-9-one in carton packaged milk

A simple and efficient method for the determination of isopropyl-9H-thioxanten-9-one (ITX) in different fat content milk samples and baby milk samples stored in packaged cartons was developed and validated. Samples were extracted using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and analysed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry operated in selected reaction monitoring mode (SRM). Validation was carried out in terms of limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), linearity, precision and trueness. LOD and LOQ values in the low microg/L were achieved, whereas linearity was established within 0.5-500 microg/L range. Good precision was obtained both in terms of intra-day repeatability and inter-day precision on two concentration levels (RSD% lower than 2%). Good percentage recoveries were obtained (92.0-102.0%) even in the presence of high amount of fat. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied to analyse a number of commercial milk samples with different fat content and baby milk samples.     

Development and validation of an HPLC method for the determination of ten sulfonamide residues in milk according to 2002/657/EC

A HPLC method with diode-array detection, at 265 nm, was developed and validated for the determination of ten sulfonamides (SAs): sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfathiazine (STZ), sulfamethoxine (SMTH), sulfamethizole (SMZ), sulfamethoxypyridazine (SMPZ), sulfamonomethoxine (SMMX), sulfamethoxazole (SMXZ), sulfisoxazole (SIX), sulfadimethoxine (SDMX), and sulfaquinoxaline (SQX) in milk. A mixture of ethyl acetate, n-hexane, and isopropanol was used for the extraction of target analytes from milk. The mobile phase, a mixture of 0.1% v/v formic acid, CH(3) CN, and CH(3) OH was delivered to the analytical column under a gradient program. The procedure was validated according to the European Union regulation 2002/657/EC in terms of selectivity, stability, decision limit, detection capability, accuracy, and precision. Mean recoveries of sulfonamides from milk samples spiked at three concentration levels (0.5×MRL, 1×MRL, and 1.5×MRL) (MRL, maximum residue level) were 93.9-115.9% for SDZ, 97.8-102.9% for STZ, 94.6-107.0% for SMTH, 98.3-111.5% for SMZ, 95.3-108.4% for SMPZ, 97.9-106.0% for SMMX, 97.6-111.3% for SMXZ, 94.3-104.6% for SIX, 96.4-109.1% for SDMX, and 98.2-111.2% for SQX. All RSD values were lower than 8.8%. The decision limits CCa calculated by spiking 20 blank milk samples at MRL (100 μg/kg) ranged from 101.61 to 106.84 μg/kg, whereas the detection capability CCb ranged from 105.64 to 119.01 μg/kg.     

Optimization of analytical conditions and validation of a fluorescence method for the determination of sulfadiazine in milk

This paper describes optimization and validation of a method for sulfadiazine determination in milk samples based on sulfadiazine derivatization with fluorescamine followed by excitation–emission (fluorescence) measurement. For both the optimization and the validation, a comparison between zero-order and first-order signals has been made, showing the advantages of using first-order signals. In the optimization the effects of the temperature of the derivatization reaction, the amount of fluorescamine and the derivatization time on the instrumental signal (maximum intensity or the net analyte signal) are studied by a factorial experimental design, with the optimal values of these factors which give the highest signal being 22 °C for the reaction temperature, 50 μl fluorescamine and 20 min of derivatization time. The validation of the method under the optimal experimental conditions shows that the analytical method is fit-for-purpose, with values of the capability of detection (CCβ) of 4.3 μg l⁻¹ at a sulfadiazine concentration of zero and with probabilities of a false positive and a false negative of 5%. Around the permitted limit (established for the sulfonamides at 100 μg l⁻¹), CCβ is 112 μg l⁻¹. The precision, as the intermediate reproducibility, was established as 1.2 and 3.3 μg l⁻¹ around 0 and 100 μg l⁻¹, respectively. In the application to milk samples spiked with sulfadiazine a mean recovery of around 90% was obtained with a standard deviation of about 8% (14 samples of different concentrations).     

Determination of sulfonamides by packed column supercritical fluid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometric detection

Sulfonamide antibiotics are widely used to prevent bacterial infections in livestock, and residues are commonly found in milk and meat. Packed column supercritical fluid chromatography (pSFC) with detection using ultra violet (UV) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) mass spectrometry (MS) provides a versatile method for the detection and quantification of six major sulfonamides. The APCI mass spectra for all the sulfonamides consisted of protonated molecules at low cone voltages. Increasing the cone voltage led to informative fragmentation patterns, which provided structural information for identification purposes. The pSFC-APCI-MS technique was shown to be linear (r2 > or = 0.999) over the concentration range 0.1-50 micrograms ml-1 using total ion current. The precision and the accuracy of the system and validation of sample preparation are acceptable, with RSD < 2% and relative error 8%. Selected ion monitoring gave detection limits as follows: sulfadiazine 41, sulfamethoxazole 45, sulfamerazine 47, sulfamethizole 59, sulfamethazine 181 and sulfadimethoxine 96 micrograms l-1, which are lower than the amounts permitted in milk products. The APCI pSFC-MS system was shown to have a high degree of reproducibility. The technique was then applied to determine the above sulfonamides in milk. The results obtained show that there are no matrix effects from the milk and that the detection limits remained as stated for the standard solutions.