Determination of quinolones and fluoroquinolones in fish tissue and seafood by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometric detection

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with tandem mass-spectrometric detection was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of eight quinolones and fluoroquinolones (oxolinic acid, flumequine, piromidic acid, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, sarafloxacin and orbifloxacin) in trout tissue, prawns and abalone. The analytes were extracted from homogenised tissue using acetonitrile and the extracts subjected to an automated two-stage solid-phase extraction process involving polymeric reversed-phase and anion-exchange cartridges. Good recoveries were obtained for all analytes and the limit of quantification was 5 μg/kg (10 μg/kg for ciprofloxacin). The limit of detection was 1–3 μg/kg, depending on the analyte and matrix. Confirmation of the identity of a residue was achieved by further tandem mass-spectrometric analysis. A procedure for estimating the uncertainty associated with the measurement is presented.