Multi-class, Multi-residue Analysis of 59 Veterinary Drugs in Livestock Products for Screening and Quantification Using Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to develop a comprehensive and simple method for the simultaneous determination of 59 veterinary drug residues in livestock products for safety management. METHODS AND RESULTS: For sample preparation, we used a modified liquid extraction method, according to which the sample was extracted with 80% acetonitrile followed by incubation at -20℃ for 30 min. After centrifugation, an aliquot of the extract was evaporated to dryness at 40℃ and analyzed using liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry. The method was validated at three concentration levels for beef, pork, chicken, egg, and milk in accordance with the Codex Alimentarius Commission/Guidelines 71-2009. Quantitative analysis was performed using a matrix-matched calibration. As a results, at least 52 (77.6%) out of 66 compounds showed the proper method validation results in terms of both recovery of the target compound and coefficient of variation required by Codex guidelines in live-stock products. The limit of quantitation of the method ranged from 0.2 to 1119.6 ng g-1 for all matrices. CONCLUSION(S): This method was accurate, effective, and comprehensive for 59 veterinary drugs determination in livestock products, and can be used to investigate veterinary drugs from different chemical families for safety management in livestock products.