Highly Selective Detection and Identification of Nitrofuran Metabolites in Honey Using LC-MS/MS

Instrument Type: LCMSMS

Nitrofurans are broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat bees and other animals with bacterial infections. Nitrofurans have been banned from use in food-producing animals in several countries. Several studies have shown that animals rapidly metabolize nitrofurans within a few hours so detection has focused on the metabolites rather than the native drug. We describe a method to accurately quantitate nitrofuran metabolites at levels as low as 0.3 ppb in a matrix consisting of honey using the TSQ Quantum Discovery.