Development of an analytical method for the determination of dl-methylephedrine hydrochloride in porcine muscle using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

ABSTRACT

This study examined the residue of dl-methylephedrine hydrochloride (MEP) on the muscle of pigs administered orally with MEP 12 g/ton feed for seven consecutive days. Twenty healthy cross swine were administered MEP. Four treated animals were selected arbitrarily to be sacrificed at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 days after treatment. MEP residue concentrations in the muscle were determined by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The drug was extracted from muscle samples using 10 mM ammonium formate in acetonitrile followed by clean-up with n-hexane. The analyte was separated on an XBridgeTM hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column using 10 mM ammonium formate in deionized distilled water and acetonitrile. The correlation coefficient (R2 ) of the calibration curve was 0.9974, and the limits of detection and quantification were 0.05 and 0.15 μg/ kg, respectively. The recoveries at three spiking levels were 94.5–101.2%, and the relative Standard Deviations was less than 4.06%.In the MEP-treated group, MEP residues on one day post-treatment were below the maximum residue limit in the muscle. The developed method is sensitive and reliable for the detection of MEP in porcine muscle tissues. Furthermore, it exhibits low quantification limits for animal-derived food products destined for human consumption.