Quantitation of fluoroquinolones in honey using tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) : nested validation with two mass spectrometers
Durden, D.A.; Fernandes, G.
Journal - Association of Official Analytical Chemists 93(5): 1633-1655
2010
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-5756 PMID: 21140677 Document Number: 642190
A number of drugs in the quinolone and fluoroquinolone families, approved for veterinary treatment of food animals by various countries, may be used to treat bee diseases and thereby contaminate honey. An LC-MS/MS method has been developed for the quantification of the quinolones: flumequine, nalidixic acid, oxolinic acid, and pipemidic acid; and the fluoroquinolones ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, difloxacin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, orbifloxacin, marbofloxacin, sarafloxacin, and sparfloxacin. A method-matched calibration curve is used with several internal standards, i.e., ciprofloxacin-d8, Iomefloxacin, and cinoxacin, to correct for the various types of honey matrices: white, light, medium, and dark colors. Enoxacin is added as an external recovery standard. The LOD values range from 0.05 microg/kg (ofloxacin) to 0.4 microg/kg (flumequine). The compounds are verified by LC-MS/MS retention times and ion ratios. Method uncertainty was determined using two separate analytical systems. The method has successfully measured the presence of norfloxacin in several samples of honey imported into Canada.