Simultaneous determination of eight β-agonists residues in animal food by ultra pressure liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

Objective To develop an analytical method for the determination of eight kinds of β-agonists in animal producing food based on ultra pressure liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Methods Samples were enzymatic hydrolysed and extracted by acetic acid buffer (pH 5.2) and then purified and enriched by Oasis MCX solid phase extraction cartridges. The separation was performed on a Waters ACQUITY UPLCTM BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm i.d., 1.7 μm) with gradient elution using methanol and water containing 0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Results Average recoveries of this method for fortified samples ranged from 75.6% to 118.7% with relative standard deviation less than 25.0%. The limits of quantitation (LOQ) for the whole method ranged from 0.1 μg/kg to 0.2 μg/kg. Conclusion Due to its high sensitivity and reproducibility, the method is suitable for the determination of agnoists in animal producing samples.