A rapid spectrofluorometric screening method for enrofloxacin in chicken muscle

A simple spectrofluorometric method was developed for screening enrofloxacin (ENRO) in chicken muscle. A single-step extraction with acidic acetonitrile gave the best results without further cleanup. Following centrifugation the supernatants were excited at 324 nm and the emission was measured at 442 nm. Using this procedure, 18 chicken breast samples from 3 producers were tested. The results showed background signal levels significantly lower than those corresponding to 300 microg/kg ENRO, the FDA approved tolerance level. Statistical treatment of these data established a threshold which can be used in subsequent screening of ENRO at the tolerance level. The calibration curve revealed a satisfactory linear relationship (R(2) = 0.9991) in a range of 0-700 microg/kg ENRO in fortified chicken breast. ENRO-incurred samples were examined using this approach, and the results agreed with those obtained from more extensive separation followed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Because the threshold can be set at the 3 sigma limit, reliable screening can be accomplished with an error rate of less than 0.26%. Based on this investigation, a high-throughput screening method for ENRO in chicken tissue is proposed.