Determination of total florfenicol residues as florfenicol amine in bovine tissues and eel by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using external calibration

A reliable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to determine total florfenicol residues in bovine tissues and eel. Florfenicol and its metabolites (florfenicol amine, monochloroflorfenicol, florfenicol oxamic acid, and florfenicol alcohol) were analyzed as the marker residue, florfenicol amine, as defined by several regulatory agencies. After hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid, samples were defatted and subjected to solid-supported liquid extraction and Oasis MCX-cartridge cleanup before analysis. The method was validated for florfenicol and its metabolites at two levels in eel and bovine muscle, fat, and liver. Excellent recoveries were obtained (93-104%), with relative standard deviations of < 6% for all compounds. Negligible matrix effects and minimal analyte loss during sample preparation enabled accurate quantification by external calibration using solvent standards. No interfering peaks were observed around the retention time of florfenicol amine, indicating the high selectivity of the method. Retention times in the spiked samples corresponding to that of the calibration standard in solvent did not exceed +/- 0.1 min. Ion ratios from the spiked sample were within +/- 10% (relative) of the calibration standards. Calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.5 to 100 ng/mL, with coefficients of determination higher than 0.998. The limits of quantification and limits of detection of the proposed method were estimated to be 0.01 mg/kg and 0.0005 mg/kg, respectively, in all food samples. Thus, the developed method is considered reliable and suitable for regulatory use.