Isolation of sulfonamides from fortified chicken tissues with supercritical CO2 and in-line adsorption

Improved recoveries and detectability of three sulfonamides from chicken tissues by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), without modifiers, using an in-line adsorption trap, are reported. Following SFE, the analytes are recovered from neutral alumina with the HPLC mobile phase. Samples are injected directly onto high-performance liquid chromatographic columns without post-extraction cleanup. Mean recoveries of sulfamethazine, sulfadimethoxine, and sulfaquinoxaline from liver, breast tissue, and thigh muscle are 89, 95, and 77%, respectively. The analytes are detectable at less than 100 ppb with a minimum of background interference.