Screening Analysis for Tetracyclines Using the Autosampler’s Automatic Dilution Function

User Benefits

- Troublesome pretreatments are avoided by using the autosampler’s dilution function. - Tailing peaks for metal complexes can be suppressed.

Introduction

Veterinary drugs are used exclusively for animals to prevent and treat infections. Typical examples are antibacterials (antibiotics and antimicrobials). However, if these remain unintentionally in livestock or marine products, they can lead to allergic reactions to humans or the emergence of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. To ensure that people can eat them safely, Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) have been established by various countries, taking into consideration the amount of such compounds that will have no effect on human health. At the same time, infringements have been reported in various countries, and there are many compounds to test for, so LC/MS analysis is on the rise because of rapid simultaneous analysis of multiple components and high-sensitivity analysis. However, in the case of mobile phases in LC/MS analysis, tetracyclines and other metal complexes are absorbed by the metallic materials used in the LC system and columns and by residual metals on the surface of the column filler. Accordingly, even now, it is often analyzed by HPLC using a mobile phase that suppresses metal adsorption. This article describes an example of the analysis of tetracyclines using an autosampler’s automatic dilution function, with the aim of heightening the efficiency of pretreatment for food safety inspections.

January 6, 2022 GMT