SUMMARY
Tylosin residues have been isolated from honey samples by dilution with water containing sodium bicarbonate, adsorption on a neutral solid-phase extraction cartridge, elution with methanol, and quantification using HPLC. This method gives approx 95% recovery of tylosin and a quantification limit of ≤ 0.2 mg/kg, but shows minor interferences in some honeys. Extraction of tylosin from honey with organic solvents according to a published method gave extracts contaminated with honey. Subsequent purification on solid-phase extraction cartridges, and analysis by HPLC gave improved purity of the isolated antibiotic but recoveries of only 8.6% (chloroform) to 30.9% (acetonitrile).