[Development of analytical methods for residual antibiotics and antibacterials in livestock products]

One of the major roles of public health agencies is to ensure safe products for consumers through analysis of residual antibiotics and antibacterials in livestock products. In this study, the analytical methods were established for tetracyclines (TCs), penicillins (PCs), and sulphonamides (SAs), which are widely used as veterinary drugs in livestock. Taking into consideration the inspection systems used by prefectural governments, UV-HPLC, which is commonly used in health centers, was selected as the determination method, and LC/MS/MS, which is used for highly sensitive analyses, was employed as a confirmation method. Based on the physicochemical features of TCs, PCs, and SAs, detailed examinations of the solid-phase extraction cartridge clean-up and analytical conditions were carried out. A simultaneous confirmation method for four types of TCs in bovine tissues, both the simultaneous determination method and the highly sensitive identification method of six types of weakly acidic PCs in bovine tissues, and the simultaneous determination method of SAs in animal liver and kidney were established. The development of the analytical method for PCs is described in detail in this paper. The combined use of a simple and reproducible determination method and the highly sensitive and precise confirmation of residual antibiotics and antibacterials in livestock products was successfully established for the inspection system. This should provide high-quality analysis and ensure safe product improvements.