Quantitative Analysis of Oxytetracycline Residues in Honey by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

In this study, a simple, sensitive, selective and precise HPLC method is developed for the determination of oxytetracycline in bulk and honey samples. Separation of oxytetracycline was achieved on a Kromosil C18 analytical column (250 mm × 4.6 mm I.D., 5 µm particle size). The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and water (85:15 v/v) at a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min. The method was linear in the range of 1–6 µg/ml. The LOD and LOQ values are found to be 0.05 and 0.10 µg/ml, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of the oxytetracycline in honey sample following extraction of the oxytetracycline with McIlvaine buffer and Solid Phase Extraction system. All the honey samples that were analyzed for oxytetracyline residues had higher residue levels than the recommended maximum residue level for honey. The method described in this study would be useful for routine monitoring of oxytetracycline residues in honey.