Investigation on Chloramphenicol Residues in Poultry Meat in Bangladesh Using a Validated Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Chloramphenicol (CAP) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic widely applied in veterinary practices. Continual use of CAP in livestock production may lead to antibiotic resistance and health-related hazards. In this study, a rapid and highly sensitive analytical method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) was developed and validated to detect and quantify there is due of CAP in poultry meat regarding the safety of humans and animals. Total 80 samples of poultry meat were collected from different poultry farms, and poultry meat sellers in three upazilas namely- Sadar, Mirzapur and Ghatail of Tangail district in the Dhaka division. The test analysis was performed using matrix-matched liquid chromatography-mass spectrophotometry. The chromatographic separation of the CA Presidue was carried out at 40°C temperature on a reverse-phase C18 column using a binary gradient pump, and quantification was performed by LC-MS/MS in electrospray mode. Mobile phase constituents were solvent (a) deionized water, and (b) acetonitrile. The flow rate was 0.35 mL/min and the total run time was 5 min. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, recovery, and precision following the 2021/808/EC guidelines and acceptance criteria were met in all the cases. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for precision was <11%. The linearity of the calibration curves was excellent (R2 >0.999) at concentrations of 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 μg/kg for matrix-matched CAP standard, and the range of linearity of this method was 0.0-5.0 μg/kg with R2 value greater than 0.99. The decision limit (CC-a), and detection capability (CCβ) were 0.29 μg/ kg, and 0.31 μg/kg respectively, and the recovery percentages ranged from 94 to 100 %. In this study, the levels of CAP residue in tested poultry meat samples were found below the detection limit. The overall parameters of the proposed method met the validation criteria, and the method proved to be suitable for CAP residues determination in poultry meat samples. Thus, this method could be a precise and highly desirable analytical procedure for rapid and routine analysis of CA Presidues in poultry meat, and obtained tested results in this study could be an authentic data to ensure the chloramphenicol free safety poultry meat for human consumption.