Simultaneous quantification of ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and balofloxacin in broiler chicken muscle

There is an increasing public concern about the presence of veterinary residues in food. The Maximal Residue Limit (MRL) in edible tissues of animal origin are established from the analytical methods developed. The extraction and simultaneous liquid chromatographic quantification of ciprofloxacin (CFX), enrofloxacin (EFX) and balofloxacin (BFX) was validated in muscle of broiler chicken. The samples were homogenized and the antimicrobials added, then they were extracted twice with dichloromethane. These fluoroquinolones were detected by liquid chromatography with fluorescence at 295 nm excitation and 500 nm emission. The assay was linear from 0.001 to 0.1 mug/mL. The limits of quantification in chicken muscle were 0.0119 mug/g for EFX, 0.0436 for BFX and 0.0557 for CFX. The indices for the recoveries of residues (0.01 to 0.1 mug/mL) were calculated in comparison to samples with the incorporation of these antimicrobials after the extraction procedure, averaged 77.47% for EFX, 87.7% for CFX and 96.67% for BFX. The extracts were free of interference from the biological matrix, with good resolution of the peaks in the chromatograms. The MRL are usually established from the risk factors, pertinent toxicological assays and developed analytical methods, which have to be able for implementation. This is a simple and economic method to quantify the presence of CFX, EFX and BFX in chicken muscle.