Determination of Chloramphenicol in Milk Using a QuEChERS-Based on Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method

Abstract

A quantitative method for the determination of chloramphenicol in milk samples was developed based on the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) approach for liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Homogenized milk samples were extracted with acetonitrile. The partitioning step was performed after the addition of magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride. Chloramphenicol was determined using the electrospray negative ionization mode with tandem mass spectrometry. The procedure was validated according to the requirements of Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The apparent recovery ranged from 90% to 110% and within-laboratory reproducibility was lower than 12%. The calculated limit of decision was 0.10 μg kg−1 and the detection capability was 0.15 μg kg−1. Validation results demonstrated that this method fulfills criteria for the determination of chloramphenicol in milk.