Determination of Seven β-Agonist Residues including Phenylethanolamine A in Pork by UPLC-MS/MS

An ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS) method was established for the simultaneous determination of phenylethanolamine A,clenbuterol,salbutamol,ractopamine,terbutaline,cimaterol and clorprenaline residues in pork.Samples were extracted with 1% fomic acid-acetonitrile,cleaned up using a solid phase extraction cartridge.Quantification of seven β-agonists was achieved by UPLC-MS/MS with multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) using internal standard method.The detection limit and quantification limit of the developed method for seven analytes were 0.2μg/kg and 0.5 μg/kg,respectively.The average recovery rates of seven β-agonists from blank pork at the spiked levels of 1,2μg/kg and 10μg/kg were 72.2%—116.9%,with relative standard deviation(RSD) of less than 2.5%.This method had the advantages of rapid analysis,high sensitivity,good reproducibility and no need for enzymatic hydrolysis.Its various technical indexes could meet the requirements of relevant domestic and international regulations.Therefore,this method is applicable for rapid determination of β-agonist residues in pork.