Capillary electrophoresis in analysis of veterinary drugs

Antibiotics are extensively applied in veterinary medicine for the treatment of various bacterial infections. Because of their use in food producing animals, the risk of occurrence of unwanted residues in edible products exists. To ensure human food safety, The European Union has defined maximum residue limits (MRLs) for veterinary drug residues in food products. Analytical methods need to be developed to confirm the presence of antibiotics at the MRL level. A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method with UV detection is proposed for the quantitative determination of residues from poultry and porcine tissues. Eight of the most frequently used antibiotics and nifursol, which routinely used as poultry coccidiostat, were analysed. CE technique permitted analysing substances to be separated from muscle, liver, kidney and skin with fat after a simple extraction with acetonitrile or ethyl acetate under basic conditions. Proposed method is capable to identify drug residues in tissues at level below 20 microg/kg.