Rapid determination of furosine in milk using microwave-assisted HCl hydrolysis and ultra-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract

Because the conventional methods for furosine analysis are time-consuming, a modified method is presented to improve analysis efficiency. Microwave-assisted HCl hydrolysis was performed at 140, 150, and 160°C for 10 to 200 min, with 6, 8, or 9 M HCl. The hydrolysate purification process was carried out using only paper and membrane filtration. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) system was used to achieve rapid analysis of furosine. The results showed that microwave-assisted HCl hydrolysis at 8 M and 160°C led to a stable furosine yield and took only 40 min. The UPLC analysis was completed in 8 min. The modified method was validated and obtained limit of detection at 3 µg/L, limit of quantitation of 10 µg/L, linearity range of 0.2 to 5.0 mg/L, 80.5 to 94.2% recoveries from spiked samples, and coefficients of variation of 2.2 to 6.8%. The modified method is rapid and reliable for the determination of furosine in milk.