Determination of Nitrofurans in Chicken Feed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was used for the determination of nitrofurantoin, nitrofurazone, furazolidone, and furaltadone in chicken feed. The nitrofurans were extracted with phosphate buffer (pH 7) and sodium chloride. Proteins and lipids were removed with acetonitrile and hexane before purification with ethyl acetate, dilution in 1:1 acetonitrile-5 millimolar ammonium acetate at pH 7.3, and filtration prior to analysis. The limits of detection were 1.69, 1.74, 2.01, and 1.45 microgram per kilogram for nitrofurantoin, nitrofurazone, furazolidone, and furaltadone, respectively. The mean recoveries were between 84.6 and 110.6 percent. The method was employed to determine nitrofurans in chicken feed.