Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction for determination of tilmicosin in feed using high performance liquid...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate monitoring of veterinary drugs like tilmicosin in animal feed is crucial for food safety.
• Existing analytical methods for tilmicosin detection can be limited by selectivity and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, sensitive, and reproducible molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) method for tilmicosin determination in feed.
• To evaluate the performance of the developed MISPE method against conventional solid-phase extraction techniques.

Main Methods:

• Polymer synthesis using tylosin as a template, methacrylic acid as a functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker via bulk polymerization.
• Optimization of MISPE conditions for selective extraction and enrichment of tilmicosin from various feed matrices.
• Analysis of tilmicosin using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Main Results:

• The developed MISPE method demonstrated superior selectivity, recovery (76.9%–95.6%), and precision (RSD < 7.6%) compared to non-imprinted, C18, and HLB cartridges.
• Linearity was observed in the range of 1.0–100 mg L⁻¹ (r=0.9990), with a limit of detection of 0.35 mg kg⁻¹ and a limit of quantification of 0.98 mg kg⁻¹.
• MISPE resulted in cleaner chromatograms, indicating reduced matrix interference.

Conclusions:

• The novel MISPE method provides an effective and reliable approach for the selective determination of tilmicosin in animal feed.
• This technique offers significant advantages over conventional SPE methods, improving analytical efficiency and accuracy.