Validated Screening Method for 81 Multiclass Veterinary Drug Residues in Food via Online-Coupling High-Throughput Planar Solid-Phase Extraction to High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Orbitrap Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Annabel Mehl, Lorena Hudel, Maja Bücker, Gertrud E. Morlock
Abstract
Current screening capabilities for veterinary drugs (VDs) in foods are limited, requiring time-consuming and expensive trace-level analyses. For the first time, a high-throughput planar solid-phase extraction (HTpSPE) cleanup, controlled by UV/vis/FLD imaging, was developed for screening 81 VDs from 6 different groups (glucocorticoids, anthelmintics, antiparasitics, coccidiostats, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and antibiotics) in 4 different matrices (honey, pig muscle, cow milk, and chicken eggs). It consumed 13 times less solvent and was more eco-friendly and 5 times faster than routine methods. The VDs were automatically eluted using the autoTLC-LC-MS interface, separated online on a high-performance liquid chromatography column via a 10-min gradient, and detected by Orbitrap high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. The screening method was validated according to the latest European Commission Implementing Regulation 2021/808. Most VDs except penicillins and cephalosporins were detected at the 5-μg/kg level in pig muscle, cow milk, and chicken eggs and 25-μg/kg level in honey.