Sensitive analysis of trace macrolide antibiotics in complex food samples by ambient mass spectrometry with molecularly imprinted polymer-coated wooden tips

In this article, an ambient mass spectrometric method with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated wooden tips was developed for sensitive analysis of trace macrolide antibiotics in complex food samples. A novel solid phase microextraction (SPME) probe was prepared, via the modification of a layer MIP coating (with roxithromycin as template molecule) on the surface of wooden tips. The obtained MIP-coated wooden-tip SPME probe can be applied directly to enrich trace macrolide antibiotics from complex food samples, with enrichment factors of 244-1604, 72-370, and 12-82 folds for analysis of five investigated macrolide antibiotics in drinking water, honey, and milk samples, respectively. After extraction, a high voltage and some spray solvent were applied on the loaded SPME probe to desorb and ionize analytes enriched on the probe surface for electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (ESI-MS) analysis under ambient and open-air conditions. The method showed good linearity, with correlation coefficient values (r(2)) no less than 0.9904, and the calibration function was verified via Mandel's fitting test (p > 0.063). The limits of detection were in the range of 0.003-0.05, 1.1-5.1, and 1.9-15.8 ng/g for analysis of drinking water, honey, and milk samples, respectively. Recoveries of the five targeted macrolide antibiotics in honey and milk samples ranged from 73.4% to 98.1%, with the standard deviations no higher than 8.6%. As a result, MIP-coated wooden-tip ESI-MS method could be feasibly used as a sensitive method for determination of trace macrolide antibiotics in complex food samples.