Derivative Spectrophotometric Determination of Florfenicol in Chicken Samples

Abstract

A simple, rapid, and reliable derivative spectrophotometric method for determination of florfenicol was developed. Florfenicol belongs to amphenicol group antibiotics, the most widespread antibiotics used in poultry. Antibiotic residues in edible tissues of food-producing animals contribute to several reasons, such as a withdrawal period, overdose and long acting drugs. The analysis of the derivative spectra was done through the determination of the derivative values, using one of the four graphical methods, which included peak–to-baseline (peak height), peak-to- peak, and area under peak. Under the optimum experimental conditions for the first derivative spectrophotometric method, a good proportionality was found between florfenicol concentration and peak amplitude at 218.6 and 233.8 nm, over the concentration range of 1.0-53 μg/ml, 0.5-53 μg/ml, intervals of 211.2-224 nm and 224-249.2 nm, over the concentration range 0.7-53 μg/ml and 0.3-53 μg/ml, with detection limit of 0.7, 0.3, 0.1 μg/ml. The proposed method was applied for the determination of florfenicol in chicken tissues, thigh and arms, liver and kidney with recovery percentage of 95.81-114%.