Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS screening method for macrolide and quinolone residues in baby food

Abstract

A simple, rapid and sensitive screening method by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for the identification of 7 macrolides (clarithromycin, erythromycin, oleandomycin, spiramycin, tilmicosin, troleandomycin and tylosin) and 8 quinolones (ciprofloxacin, difloxacin, enrofloxacin, flumequine, moxifloxacin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin and ofloxacin) in meat and egg-based baby foods. Sample preparation was performed using an alkaline modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe) extraction method without additional clean-up steps. A simplex-lattice mixture experimental design was used in the optimization of the QuEChERS extraction solvent. The developed method was successfully validated according to the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and the European Community Reference Laboratories Residues Guidelines regarding the validation of screening methods 20/01/2010, adopting a fixed permited tolerance for relative ion ratio. Samples of baby food (n = 44) commercialized in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were analyzed using the validated method and none of them presented residues of the searched macrolides and quinolones, with a screening target value of 5 µg kg⁻¹.

Keywords:

• Antibiotics
• antimicrobials
• veterinary drug residues
• chemical food safety
• baby food

Declaration of interest statement

Jônatas Vieira Grutes declares that he has no conflict of interest. Rosana Gomes Ferreira declares that she has no conflict of interest. Mararlene Ulberg Pereira declares that she has no conflict of interest. Felipe Stanislau Candido declares that he has no conflict of interest. Bernardete Ferraz Spisso declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001.