Determination of quinolone residues in raw cow milk. Application of polar stir-bars and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Current analytical strategies for the determination of quinolone residues in milk

Quinolones are potent antibacterial drugs extensively utilized for treating bacterial infections in poultry. However, the presence of quinolone antibiotic residues in milk is a matter of concern due to potential health risks and adverse effects on milk quality. This review provides an overview of current analytical strategies for the determination of quinolone residues in milk. Various sample preparation techniques, such as liquid-phase extraction, solid-phase extraction and QuEChERS, are discussed, along with detection methods including instrument-based detection, immune-based detection, and microbial detection. The advantages and limitations of each method are highlighted, as well as their applicability in different stages of milk production. Additionally, recent advancements in sample preparation and detection methods are presented. This comprehensive review aims to contribute to the development of accurate and reliable methods for the detection of quinolone residues in milk, ensuring the safety and quality of dairy products.

Dietary biomarkers-an update on their validity and applicability in epidemiological studies

The aim of this literature review was to identify and provide a summary update on the validity and applicability of the most promising dietary biomarkers reflecting the intake of important foods in the Western diet for application in epidemiological studies. Many dietary biomarker candidates, reflecting intake of common foods and their specific constituents, have been discovered from intervention and observational studies in humans, but few have been validated. The literature search was targeted for biomarker candidates previously reported to reflect intakes of specific food groups or components that are of major importance in health and disease. Their validity was evaluated according to 8 predefined validation criteria and adapted to epidemiological studies; we summarized the findings and listed the most promising food intake biomarkers based on the evaluation. Biomarker candidates for alcohol, cereals, coffee, dairy, fats and oils, fruits, legumes, meat, seafood, sugar, tea, and vegetables were identified. Top candidates for all categories are specific to certain foods, have defined parent compounds, and their concentrations are unaffected by nonfood determinants. The correlations of candidate dietary biomarkers with habitual food intake were moderate to strong and their reproducibility over time ranged from low to high. For many biomarker candidates, critical information regarding dose response, correlation with habitual food intake, and reproducibility over time is yet unknown. The nutritional epidemiology field will benefit from the development of novel methods to combine single biomarkers to generate biomarker panels in combination with self-reported data. The most promising dietary biomarker candidates that reflect commonly consumed foods and food components for application in epidemiological studies were identified, and research required for their full validation was summarized.

Analytical method for the determination of usually prescribed antibiotics in human nails using UHPLC-MS/MS. Comparison of the efficiency of two extraction techniques

Antibiotics are a group of drugs used for the treatment of bacterial diseases. They are used in both human and veterinary medicine and, although they are not permitted, they are sometimes used as growth promoters. The present research compares two extraction techniques: ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) in order to evaluate their efficiency in the determination of 17 usually prescribed antibiotics in human nails. The extraction parameters were optimized using multivariate techniques. Once both techniques were compared, MAE was selected as optimal due to its greater experimental practicability together with the better extraction efficiencies it provides. Target analytes were detected and quantified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection (UHPLC-MS/MS). The run time was 20 min. The methodology was then successfully validated, obtaining acceptable analytical parameters according to the guide used. Limits of detection were between 0.3 and 3 ng g^-1 and limits of quantification were in the range from 1.0 to 4.0 ng g^-1. Recovery percentages ranged from 87.5% to 114.2%, and precision (in terms of standard deviation) was less than 15% in all cases. Finally, the optimized method was applied to nails taken from 10 volunteers and the results revealed the presence of one or more antibiotics in all the samples examined. The most commonly found antibiotic was sulfamethoxazole, followed by danofloxacin and levofloxacin. The results demonstrated, on the one hand, the presence of these compounds in the human body and, on the other hand, the suitability of nails as a non-invasive biomarker of exposure.

Analytical Determination of Cephalosporin Antibiotics Using Coordination Polymer Based on Cobalt Terephthalate as a Sorbent

In this work, a coordination polymer based on cobalt terephthalate was obtained and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The coordination polymer was tested as a sorbent for the solid-phase extraction of cephalosporin antibiotics, including ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and cefazolin, from aqueous solutions. The coordination polymer had a high adsorption capacity (520.0 mg/g). Antibiotics adsorption followed pseudo-second order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicate a spontaneous process. The resulting coordination polymer has good stability and reusability. The possibility of separating the studied cephalosporins on a chromatographic column filled with a coordination polymer was shown. This work opens great prospects for the development and application of a coordination polymer based on cobalt terephthalate for the removal of cephalosporins from ambient water.

Recent Advances in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Antibiotic Analysis

The abuse and residues of antibiotics have a great impact on the environment and organisms, and their determination has become very important. Due to their low contents, varieties and complex matrices, effective recognition, separation and enrichment are usually required prior to determination. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), a kind of highly selective polymer prepared via molecular imprinting technology (MIT), are used widely in the analytical detection of antibiotics, as adsorbents of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and as recognition elements of sensors. Herein, recent advances in MIPs for antibiotic residue analysis are reviewed. Firstly, several new preparation techniques of MIPs for detecting antibiotics are briefly introduced, including surface imprinting, nanoimprinting, living/controlled radical polymerization, and multi-template imprinting, multi-functional monomer imprinting and dummy template imprinting. Secondly, several SPE modes based on MIPs are summarized, namely packed SPE, magnetic SPE, dispersive SPE, matrix solid-phase dispersive extraction, solid-phase microextraction, stir-bar sorptive extraction and pipette-tip SPE. Thirdly, the basic principles of MIP-based sensors and three sensing modes, including electrochemical sensing, optical sensing and mass sensing, are also outlined. Fourthly, the research progress on molecularly imprinted SPEs (MISPEs) and MIP-based electrochemical/optical/mass sensors for the detection of various antibiotic residues in environmental and food samples since 2018 are comprehensively reviewed, including sulfonamides, quinolones, β-lactams and so on. Finally, the preparation and application prospects of MIPs for detecting antibiotics are outlined.

Self-synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles-pH-mediated dispersive solid phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for the determination of quinolones in biological matrices

A simple and efficient pH-mediated dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE) based on terbium doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂-Tb NPs) combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been firstly developed for the determination of quinolones (QNs) in various biological samples. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were investigated to indicate that the kinetic and equilibrium adsorption were well-described by pseudo-second order kinetic and Henry, Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The parameters influencing the extraction performance were systematically investigated. The QNs are transferred into TiO₂-Tb NPs in the first step at pH = 6.0 and eluted into acidic aqueous phase at pH = 2.5 in the second step. Under the optimum extraction and determination conditions, a linearity range with the coefficient of determination (R²) from 0.9977 to 0.9991 were obtained in a range of 10-10,000 ng mL^-1. The limits of detection (LODs) based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 3.3 ng mL^-1. The recoveries of the three QNs in human urine, rabbit plasma and serum samples ranged from 69.3% to 117.6%, with standard deviations ranging from 2.4% to 9.9%. Therefore, this pH-mediated dSPE-HPLC method exhibited the advantages of remarkable sensitivity, ease of operation, rapidity, low cost and environmental friendliness.

Covalent Organic Framework/Polyacrylonitrile Electrospun Nanofiber for Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction of Trace Quinolones in Food Samples

The extraction of quinolone antibiotics (QAs) is crucial for the environment and human health. In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/covalent organic framework TpPa–1 nanofiber was prepared by an electrospinning technique and used as an adsorbent for dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) of five QAs in the honey and pork. The morphology and structure of the adsorbent were characterized, and the extraction and desorption conditions for the targeted analytes were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, a sensitive method was developed by using PAN/TpPa–1 nanofiber as an adsorbent coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for five QAs detection. It offered good linearity in the ranges of 0.5–200 ng·mL⁻¹ for pefloxacin, enrofloxacin, and orbifloxacin, and of 1–200 ng·mL⁻¹ for norfloxacin and sarafloxacin with correlation coefficients above 0.9946. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) of five QAs ranged from 0.03 to 0.133 ng·mL⁻¹. The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations of the five QAs with the spiked concentration of 50 ng·mL⁻¹ were 2.8–4.0 and 3.0–8.8, respectively. The recoveries of five QAs in the honey and pork samples were 81.6–119.7%, which proved that the proposed method has great potential for the efficient extraction and determination of QAs in complex samples.

Miniaturized sample preparation techniques and ambient mass spectrometry as approaches for food residue analysis

Analytical methods such as liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) are widely used techniques for the analyses of different classes of compounds. This is due to their highlighted capacity for separating and identifying components in complex matrices such food samples. However, in most cases, effective analysis of the target analyte becomes challenging due to the complexity of the sample, especially for quantification of trace concentrations. In this case, miniaturized sample preparation methods have been used as a strategy for analysis of complex matrices. This involves removing the interferents and concentrating the analytes in a sample. These methods combine simplicity and effectiveness and given their miniaturized scale, they are in accordance with green chemistry precepts. Besides, ambient mass spectrometry represents a new trend in fast and rapid analyses, especially for qualitative and screening analysis. However, for complex matrix analyses, sample preparation is still a difficult step and the miniaturized sample preparation techniques show great potential for an improved and widespread use of ambient mass spectrometry techniques. . This review aims to contribute as an overview of current miniaturized sample preparation techniques and ambient mass spectrometry methods as different approaches for selective and sensitive analysis of residues in food samples.

Application of sorptive micro-extraction techniques for the pre-concentration of antibiotic drug residues from food samples - a review

Antibiotic residues have become a major concern worldwide as food contaminants due to the risk that they may pose to human health. The presence of these residues in food is due to improper veterinary practices. Consequently, rapid and cost-effective clean-up methods prior to analysis for these residues in food matrices are increasingly becoming necessary in order to ensure food safety. Miniaturised extraction and pre-concentration techniques have been developed as alternatives to conventional extraction procedures in recent years. Furthermore, the current trends in analytical sample preparation favour extraction techniques that comply with the principles of green analytical chemistry. Solid phase micro-extraction, stir bar sorptive extraction, stir cake sorptive extraction and fabric phase sorptive extraction methods are very promising sorbent-based sorptive micro-extraction techniques, and they are compliant to the principles of green chemistry. This review critically discusses the application of these techniques in the extraction and pre-concentration of antibiotic residues from food samples in the years 2015 to 2020.

Enantioseparation and determination of flumequine enantiomers in multiple food matrices with chiral liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

The present work firstly described the enantioseparation and determination of flumequine enantiomers in milk, yogurt, chicken, beef, egg, and honey samples by chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The enantioseparation was performed under reversed-phase conditions on a Chiralpak IC column at 20°C. The effects of chiral stationary phase, mobile phase components, and column temperature on the separation of flumequine enantiomers have been studied in detail. Target compounds were extracted from six different matrices with individual extraction procedure followed by cleanup using Cleanert C18 solid phase extraction cartridge. Good linearity (R² >0.9913) was obtained over the concentration range of 0.125 to 12.5 ng g^-1 for each enantiomer in matrix-matched standard calibration curves. The limits of detection and limits of quantification of two flumequine enantiomers were 0.015-0.024 and 0.045-0.063 ng g^-1 , respectively. The average recoveries of the targeted compounds varied from 82.3 to 110.5%, with relative standard deviation less than 11.7%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of flumequine enantiomers in multiple food matrices, providing a reliable method for evaluating the potential risk in animal productions.

Synthesis of DABCO-based ionic liquid functionalized magnetic nanoparticles as a novel sorbent for the determination of cephalosporins in milk samples by dispersive solid-phase extraction followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, DABCO-based ionic liquid-functionalized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized for the first time by the quaternization reaction with 1-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octanylium chloride and chloro-functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles.