Quantitative LC/MS-MS determination of sulfonamides and some other antibiotics in honey

Abstract

A simple and rapid method was developed for the determination of 20 antibiotics (sulfonamides, tetracyclines, and flumequine) in honey by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The proposed method is sensitive (limit of detection 0.5 to 10 ppb for the various antibiotics) and selective. A hydrolysis step ensures the liberation of sugar-bound sulfonamides. The approach has been used to analyze some 300 honey samples. A number of them were found to have exceeded the Swiss limit of 50 ppb.