Sample Preparation, Identification, and Determination of Twelve Macrolides in Raw Food Materials and Food Products Using High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

A simple technique for the isolation, identification, and determination of 12 macrolide antibiotics (azithromycin, roxithromycin, josamycin, spiramycin I-III, tilmicosin, tylosin, erythromycin, clarithromycin, tylvalosine, and tulathromycin) in raw food materials and food products is developed based on high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The range of the detected macrolide content is 1-400 ng/g, the limits of detection are 0.01-0.50 ng/g, and the limits of quantification are 0.04-2 ng/g. A scheme for identification and quantification of the detected antibiotics using the standard addition method is proposed. The relative standard deviation of the analysis does not exceed 21%. The duration of the sample screening is 40 min and the time required for quantification of the detected antibiotics is 1.0-1.5 h.