A unified approach for high-throughput quantitative analysis of the residues of multi-class veterinary drugs and pesticides in bovine milk using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS

Abstract

This paper reports a unified sample preparation approach for high-throughput multi-residue analysis of veterinary drugs and pesticides in a single sub-sample of bovine milk. The sample (5 g) was deproteinized with acetonitrile before an aliquot (I) was withdrawn, and the remainder was phase-separated using MgSO4 and NaCl. The acetonitrile layer (II) was recovered and the extracts combined, cleaned, and solvent-exchanged before the concentrations of veterinary drugs and pesticides were measured by ultra-fast liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS). As a unique approach, extract II was analyzed simultaneously using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS). Method performance for 78 drugs and 238 pesticides complied with CD 2002/657/EC and SANTE/11813/2017 guidelines, respectively, with significant savings in time and cost. Thus, it would be ideal for regulatory analysis of analytes ranging from non-polar organochlorine pesticides to polar drugs, including penicillins, quinolones, and tetracyclines.