Trace analysis of chloramphenicol residues in eggs, milk, and meat: comparison of gas chromatography and radioimmunoassay

A radioimmunological assay (RIA) to detect chloramphenicol (CAP) residues in eggs, milk, and meat is described. For tissues and other edible products of chloramphenicol-treated animals (chickens, cows, and pigs), the limit of detection is about 200 ng/kg. Residue levels above 1 microgram/kg can easily be quantitated. When highly specific antisera produced in sheep were used, cross-reactivity was insignificant except for metabolites deviating from the parent compound in the acyl side chain only. Thiamphenicol fails to bind to the antisera; hence, it does not interfere with the assay. In the procedure described, the role of cleanup is merely to remove lipids. Thus, skim milk can be analyzed following appropriate dilution without cleanup. The results obtained by RIA were confirmed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The new RIA allows rapid, sensitive, and specific screening of large numbers of samples.     

Determination of furaltadone and nifursol residues in poultry eggs by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

The use of nitrofurans as veterinary drugs has been banned from intensive animal production in the European Union (EU) since 1993. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the accumulation and depletion of furaltadone and nifursol and their side-chain metabolites 5-methylmorpholino-3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AMOZ) and 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid hydrazide (DNSAH) in eggs after administration of therapeutic and subtherapeutic doses of the drugs to laying hens during three consecutive weeks. LC-MS/MS, with positive and negative electrospray ionization methods, was used for the determination of parent compounds and metabolites in yolk and egg white and was validated according to criteria established by Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The decision limit (CCα) and the detection capability (CCβ) of the analytical methodology for metabolites were 0.1 and 0.5 μg/kg for AMOZ and 0.3 and 0.9 μg/kg for DNSAH, respectively. For the parent compounds, CCα and CCβ were 0.9 and 2.0 μg/kg for furaltadone and 1.3 and 3.1 μg/kg for nifursol, respectively. The data obtained show that the parent compounds are much less persistent than their side-chain metabolites in either yolk or egg white. Between the studied metabolites, AMOZ is the most persistent and could be detected in either yolk or egg white three weeks following withdrawal from treatment.     

Quantitative confirmation of dimetridazole and ipronidazole in swine feed by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with multiple ion detection

Extracts from 4 types of swine feed containing 0.11 ppm each of dimetridazole (DMZ) and ipronidazole (IPR) were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using multiple ion detection (MID) techniques. We demonstrate in this paper that the quantitative results obtained by capillary GC/MS with MID are comparable for both compounds to results obtained by liquid chromatography and have a lower coefficient of variation for DMZ. Moreover, consistency in the ion ratios (5 ions in DMZ and 6 ions in IPR) permits identification of these compounds by electron ionization MS.     

Rapid liquid chromatographic determination of dimetridazole and ipronidazole in swine feed

A simple and rapid method is described for the determination of dimetridazole (DMZ) and ipronidazole (IPR) in swine feeds at various levels (0.11-110 ppm). The drugs are released from feed by prewetting with a buffer, followed by extraction with either methanol or methylene chloride, depending on the drug level; if necessary, an acid-base cleanup is used before the liquid chromatographic analysis. The analytes are separated on a C18 column and monitored at 320 nm for detection and quantitation. Recoveries of DMZ from several feed formulations averaged 108% at the 92.8 ppm level with a standard deviation (SD) of 4.00% and a coefficient of variation (CV) of 3.70%, 101% at the 11.2 ppm level with an SD of 11.9% and a CV of 11.8%, and 100% at the 0.112 ppm level with an SD of 9.27% and a CV of 9.25%. Recoveries of IPR averaged 77.1% at the 12.9 ppm level with an SD of 1.75% and a CV of 2.27%; IPR recoveries averaged 35.2% at the 0.129 ppm level with an SD of 3.39% and a CV of 9.63%.     

Development of multiclass methods for drug residues in eggs: hydrophilic solid-phase extraction cleanup and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry analysis of tetracycline, fluoroquinolone, sulfonamide, and beta-lactam residues

A method was developed for detection of a variety of polar drug residues in eggs via liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with electrospray ionization (ESI). A total of twenty-nine target analytes from four drug classes-sulfonamides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and beta-lactams-were extracted from eggs using a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance polymer solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge. The extraction technique was developed for use at a target concentration of 100 ng/mL (ppb), and it was applied to eggs containing incurred residues from dosed laying hens. The ESI source was tuned using a single, generic set of tuning parameters, and analytes were separated with a phenyl-bonded silica cartridge column using an LC gradient. In a related study, residues of beta-lactam drugs were not found by LC/MS/MS in eggs from hens dosed orally with beta-lactam drugs. LC/MS/MS performance was evaluated on two generations of ion trap mass spectrometers, and key operational parameters were identified for each instrument. The ion trap acquisition methods could be set up for screening (a single product ion) or confirmation (multiple product ions). The lower limit of detection for screening purposes was 10-50 ppb (sulfonamides), 10-20 ppb (fluoroquinolones), and 10-50 ppb (tetracyclines), depending on the drug, instrument, and acquisition method. Development of this method demonstrates the feasibility of generic SPE, LC, and MS conditions for multiclass LC/MS residue screening.     

Simplified cleanup and liquid chromatographic ultraviolet determination of linuron and three metabolites in potatoes

A simple and efficient method is presented for the extraction, cleanup, and liquid chromatographic (LC) determination of linuron and 3 of its metabolites, 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-methyl urea (DCPMU), 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) urea (DCPU), and 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA), in potatoes. Samples are extracted with acetone, partitioned into dichloromethane-hexane (1 + 1), and cleaned up using disposable silica cartridges. LC determination is performed using a LiChrosorb NH2 5 microns column, with an isopropanol-isooctane gradient mobile phase and UV detection at 248 nm. Recoveries of linuron and 2 of the metabolites from untreated samples fortified at 0.02-2 micrograms/g ranged from 80 to 102%, while recoveries for the metabolite DCA ranged from 60 to 78%. The detection limit was 0.015 micrograms/g for linuron and each metabolite; the minimum quantitation level was 0.5 micrograms/g. The developed method was applied to potato samples from a field experiment.     

Liquid chromatographic methods for assay of carbamazepine, 10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine, and related compounds in carbamazepine drug substance and tablets

Liquid chromatographic (LC) methods have been developed for the determination of carbamazepine, the impurity 10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine, and related compounds in carbamazepine drug substance and tablets. The LC methods specify a 5 micron diol column and a mobile phase of acetonitrile-methanol-0.05% aqueous acetic acid (5 + 5 + 90). Iminodibenzyl and iminostilbene, starting materials for some routes of synthesis, elute late in the LC system; therefore, a thin-layer chromatographic method for their detection at the 0.05% level has been developed. Eight tablet and 13 raw material samples from several sources were examined. The impurities most frequently found were 10, 11-dihydrocarbamazepine and a compound identified as 10-bromocarbamazepine at levels up to 1.3 and 0.5%, respectively; minimum detectable amounts were about 0.01 and 0.03%, respectively.     

Simplified cleanup and liquid chromatographic determination of oxamyl residues in potato tubers

A simple and efficient method is presented for the extraction, cleanup, and liquid chromatographic (LC) determination of oxamyl residues in potato tubers. Samples are extracted with methanol, partitioned into dichloromethane, and cleaned up using Sep-Pak Florisil cartridges. LC determination is performed using a Zorbax PSM 60 size exclusion column with an acetonitrile-water (1 + 9) mobile phase and UV detection at 254 nm. Recovery of oxamyl from spiked control tubers averaged 94.1 and 85.9% at fortification levels of 0.4 and 0.08 micrograms oxamyl/g tuber, respectively. The minimum detectable concentration of oxamyl by this method is 0.01 micrograms/g.     

Determination of sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate in dry beverage bases by liquid chromatography with post-column ion-pair extraction and absorbance detection

Sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate (DSS) is extracted as an ion pair with methylene blue from finished drinks prepared from dry beverage bases. The complex is quantitatively determined colorimetrically in chloroform-acetone solution by a standard procedure. DSS is specifically identified by analyzing an aliquot of the extract by reverse phase liquid chromatography (LC). The compound is detected by using a simple post-column dynamic extraction system in which DSS is extracted from the aqueous mobile phase into chloroform as a methylene blue ion pair. The chloroform phase passes through the absorbance detector for measurement at 546 nm (filter detector). The absolute detection limit was 5-10 ng DSS, while in beverage bases as low as 0.1 microgram/g was detected. Extraction of the beverage bases with mobile phase followed by filtration and direct LC analysis with the described system was also successful, although not evaluated on a routine basis.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of depletion of bithionol sulfoxide and its two major metabolites in bovine milk

A liquid chromatographic method is described for determining bithionol sulfoxide and its metabolites, bithionol and bithionol sulfone, in milk. Samples are treated with HCl to precipitate proteins and to permit extraction of bithionol sulfoxide in nonionized form. Tetrahydrofuran is added to the organic phase to facilitate extraction in diethyl ether; the dried residue is dissolved in chloroform, hexane, and sodium hydroxide and subjected to LC analysis. Residues of bithionol sulfoxide and its 2 metabolites were determined in milk of lactating cows. Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were administered a single oral dose of bithionol sulfoxide (50 mg/kg). Milk samples were analyzed with a reliable detection level of 0.025 microgram/mL for each compound. Residues of bithionol sulfoxide and bithionol were detected during 30 and 16 milkings, respectively; bithionol sulfone was never present at detectable levels.     

Determination of fluorene in fish, sediment, and plants

Methods and their applications are described for the determination of fluorene in fish, sediment, and plants. Sample extracts are enriched by using 2 or more of the following: gel permeation, silica gel, potassium silicate, sulfuric acid-impregnated silica gel, and activated carbon. Efficiency was improved by applying the adsorbents in combination or as tandem enrichment modules. Analyses by liquid chromatography (LC) with ultraviolet or fluorescence detection (LC/UV or LC/F) yielded limits of detection of 30, 3, and 30 ng/g and average recoveries of 80, 81, and 74% for fish, sediment, and plants, respectively.     

Determination of spinosad and its metabolites in food and environmental matrices. 2. Liquid chomatography-mass spectrometry

A selective and sensitive method utilizing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has been developed for determining residues of the natural insect control agent spinosad in several crop matrices that are difficult to analyze by HPLC with UV detection. The method determines the active ingredients (spinosyns A and D) and three minor metabolites (spinosyns B and K and N-demethylspinosyn D) in alfalfa hay, wheat hay, wheat straw, sorghum fodder, and corn stover. The analytes are extracted from the samples with an acetonitrile/water solution, and the extracts are purified by solid phase extraction with a C(18) disk and a silica cartridge. All five analytes are determined simultaneously in a single injection using positive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization LC-MS with selected ion monitoring. The average recoveries ranged from 69 to 96% with standard deviations ranging from 4 to 15%. The method has a validated limit of quantitation of 0. 01 microgram/g and a limit of detection of 0.003 microgram/g. The LC-MS method can also provide residue confirmation in addition to quantitation.     

Determination of carbofuran and its metabolites in rice paddy water by using solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography

A procedure for the determination of carbofuran and its metabolites (carbamate and phenolic) in rice paddy water is described. Water samples are concentrated on a C-18 solid phase extraction (SPE) column and eluted with methanol-water. The eluate is analyzed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography (LC) and measured by a wavelength programmable ultraviolet (UV) detector. The limit of detection for the method is 0.4 micrograms/L. Recovery studies were carried out at levels ranging from 1 to 15 micrograms/L in both rice paddy water and distilled water; recoveries ranged from 85.9 to 112.9%.     

Disappearance of organochlorine residues from abdominal and egg fats of chickens, Ontario, Canada, 1969-1982

Abdominal fats were collected from 8-week old broilers slaughtered at provincially inspected abattoirs across Ontario between 1969 and 1982. Domestically produced hen eggs were collected from either egg grading stations or producers over the same period. Composite samples were analyzed for organochlorine insecticides and industrial chemicals. Between 1979 and 1982, organophosphorus insecticides were routinely included in these analyses. Sigma DDT and PCB residues declined rapidly between 1969 and 1982 in extractable lipids of both abdominal and egg fats, while dieldrin declined less markedly over the same period. Declines in residues followed first order logarithmic regression equations. Chlordane and heptachlor epoxide were rarely observed above the detection limit of 1 microgram/kg in egg fat; however, the incidence of these residues in abdominal fat increased after 1973 following the removal of aldrin, dieldrin, and heptachlor in 1969 and the subsequent increased use of chlordane for soil insect control until 1977. Lindane residues were rarely observed above the detection limit. In 1979, when the detection limit was reduced, both alpha-BHC and lindane were identified, but at levels below 1 microgram/kg. Endosulfan, methoxychlor, and fenthion were identified on one or 2 occasions over the 13-year period.     

Analysis of four 5-nitroimidazoles and their corresponding hydroxylated metabolites in egg, processed egg, and chicken meat by isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

An isotope dilution liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method is presented for the simultaneous analysis of several 5-nitroimidazole-based veterinary drugs, which are dimetridazole (DMZ), ronidazole (RNZ), metronidazole (MNZ), ipronidazole (IPZ), and their hydroxylated metabolites (DMZOH, MNZOH, and IPZOH), in egg (fresh egg, whole egg powder, and egg yolk powder) and chicken meat. Data acquisition was achieved by applying multiple reaction monitoring, and quantitation was performed by means of five deuterated internal standards (ISs), namely, DMZ-d3, RNZ-d3, IPZ-d3, DMZOH-d3, and IPZOH-d3, whereas MNZ and MNZOH were quantitated using DMZOH-d3. At the lowest fortification levels (i.e., 0.5 microg/kg for fresh egg and chicken meat and 1.0 microg/kg for other egg-based matrices) and for compounds having their own corresponding deuterated analogue used as an IS, acceptable performance data were obtained (corrected recoveries, 88-111%; decision limits, 0.07-0.36 microg/kg; detection capabilities, 0.11-0.60 microg/kg; and within-lab precision, < or = 15%). The method failed to give acceptable quantitative results for MNZ and MNZOH due to the unavailability of the corresponding deuterated ISs. Nevertheless, a reliable identification of these two analytes at levels < or = 1 microg/kg was still feasible.     

Determination of glufosinate ammonium and its metabolite (AE F064619 and AE F061517) residues in water by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry after ion exchange cleanup and derivatization

An analytical method for the determination of glufosinate ammonium and its principal metabolites, AE F064619 and AE F061517, in water of two different hardnesses (5 and 30 DH, French hardness) has been developed and validated. Samples were spiked at different levels (0. 05 and 0.5 microgram/L) and were purified by column chromatography on ion-exchange resins. After derivatization with glacial acetic acid and trimethylarthoacetate mixture, the derivatives were quantified by using capillary gas chromatography with an ion-trap tandem mass spectrometric detector. Analytical conditions for MS/MS detection were optimized, and the quantification was carried out on the areas of the most representative ions. The limit of quantification was validated at 0.05 microgram/L for each compound. The mean recovery value and the relative standard deviation (n = 20) were 92.0% and 17. 8% for glufosinate ammonium, 90.2% and 15.8% for AE F064619, and 89. 7% and 12.7% for AE F061517.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of the processing aid 4-hexylresorcinol in shrimp.

A rapid, sensitive, liquid chromatographic (LC) method has been developed for determination of residuals of the processing aid, 4-hexylresorcinol, on shrimp meat. An aqueous homogenate of shrimp meat is extracted with ethyl acetate followed by precolumn preparation on a silica Sep-Pak cartridge. LC determination is preformed with a Nova-Pak C18 column, with UV detection at 214 nm. Sensitivity was 0.006 micrograms, and recovery from shrimp meat samples of known 4-hexylresorcinol addition was 94%. Shrimp treated with 4-hexylresorcinol under the recommended dip protocol had mean residuals of 1.18 ppm, with a standard deviation of 0.13 ppm.     

Detection, accumulation, distribution, and depletion of furaltadone and nifursol residues in poultry muscle, liver, and gizzard

Nitrofurans were broadly used as an extremely effective veterinary antibiotic especially in pig and poultry production farms. Because of fears of the carcinogenic effects on humans, the nitrofurans were banned from use in livestock production in many countries, including the European Union. The present study examines the accumulation, distribution, and depletion of furaltadone and nifursol and of their tissue-bound metabolites [3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidinone (AMOZ) and 3,5-dinitro-salicylic acid hydrazine (DNSAH), respectively, in poultry edible tissues (muscle, liver, and gizzards) following administration to chickens of therapeutic and subtherapeutic concentrations of both compounds. Nitrofurans determination was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, respectively, for feeds and for poultry tissues. Furaltadone and nifursol, in very low concentrations, were found in samples of muscle, liver, and chicken's gizzard collected from slaughtered animals after 5 weeks of treatment and no withdrawal time period. When a withdrawal time period of 3 weeks was respected, no detectable nitrofuran parent compounds was observed in all of the studied matrices. For AMOZ, concentrations of 270 μg/kg in meat, 80 μg/kg in liver, and 331 μg/kg in gizzard were determined after administration of a medicated feed with furaltadone (132 mg/kg), 3 weeks after withdrawal of treatment. For DNSAH, the concentration values obtained are much lower than those observed for AMOZ. For meat, liver, and gizzard, DNSAH concentrations of 2.5, 6.4, and 10.3 μg/kg, respectively, were determined, after administration of a medicated feed with nifursol (98 mg/kg), 3 weeks after withdrawal of treatment. The gizzard could be considered a selected matrix for nitrofuran residues evaluation in poultry, due to its capacity of retaining either nitrofuran parent compounds or metabolites in higher concentrations, regardless of the administered dose or of the respected withdrawal time period.     

Analysis of lidocaine and its major metabolite, monoethylglycinexylidide, in elk velvet antler by liquid chromatography with UV detection and confirmation by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive liquid chromatographic (LC) method with UV detection was developed for the determination of residues of lidocaine (LID) and its major metabolite, monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX), in elk velvet antler. The drugs were extracted from alkaline velvet antler homogenates, cleaned up on a C(18) solid-phase extraction cartridge, and separated on an Inertsil ODS-3 (3.0 x 250 mm, 5 microm) column using an isocratic mobile phase made up of 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 4.0)/acetonitrile (88:12, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The limits of quantification for LID and its major metabolite, MEGX, were 10 and 20 ng/g, respectively. The method was validated and used to measure the concentration of residues of LID and MEGX in elk velvet antlers harvested after either LID anesthesia or application of a drug-free control method (electro-anesthesia, EA). No LID or MEGX residues were detected in any of the antlers harvested after EA application. No MEGX residues were detected in any of the velvet antlers harvested after LID application, but residues of LID ranging in concentration from 68 to 4300 ng/g were detected in the three sections of the velvet antlers harvested after LID administration. LC-tandem mass spectrometry was used to confirm the presence of lidocaine detected in the velvet antlers.