Simultaneous Determination of Steroids and NSAIDs, Using DLLME-SFO Extraction and HPLC Analysis, in Milk and Eggs...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Safety

Background:

• Residue analysis of pharmaceuticals in food products is crucial for public health.
• Limited data exists on steroid and NSAID contamination in food sources from rural communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an analytical method for quantifying steroids and NSAIDs in milk and eggs.
• To assess the levels of these compounds in food samples from Transylvania, Romania.

Main Methods:

• Protein precipitation followed by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) for sample preparation.
• Optimization of DLLME using a 2^4 full factorial design.
• Quantification using validated analytical techniques with established method detection and quantification limits.

Main Results:

• The method achieved good enrichment factors and extraction recovery for both milk and eggs.
• Steroids were detected in milk (up to 4.30 µg/L) and eggs (up to 2.79 µg/kg).
• NSAIDs were detected in milk (up to 3.41 µg/L) and eggs (up to 2.28 µg/kg), with varying detection rates per matrix.

Conclusions:

• The developed method is effective for analyzing steroids and NSAIDs in milk and egg samples.
• The study provides initial data on the presence of these pharmaceuticals in food products from the studied region.
• Further research is recommended to understand the implications of these findings on public health and environmental safety.