Multi-residue method for the detection of veterinary drugs in distillers grains by liquid chromatography–Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry

• Development of a simple and rapid sample preparation procedure.
• Determination of 96 veterinary drugs among multi chemical classes selected.
• Thorough method validation including matrix matched calibration.
• Application in different samples of Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS).

Distillers Grain (DG) is an important by-product of ethanol production. The ethanol production process uses only the starch portion of the plant and all the remaining nutrients, protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins remain in DGs, a valuable feed material for livestock. The use of antimicrobial drugs is helpful to limit harmful bacterial growth during the early part of the fermentation process. This can lead to the possible presence of contaminants in the by-products that are used in the food and feed industries, resulting in a major concern for the development of bacterial resistance in both humans and animals. To facilitate the detection of antimicrobial and other commonly used veterinary drugs in DGs, a liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) method was developed targeting a wide range of 12 chemical classes of anti-bacterial substances and drugs, such as ionophore and non-ionophore authorized coccidiostats, banned coccidiostats, macrolides, tetracyclines, nitroimidazoles, amphenicols, quinolones, sulphonamides, tranquilizers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and benzimidazoles. Following a simple and fast extraction step with a mixture of organic solvents, the extract was directly injected into the LC coupled to an Orbitrap mass analyzer. The identification of residues is based on accurate mass measurement. The high mass resolution of 50,000 full width at half maximum (FWHM) and corresponding narrow mass windows permitted a very selective and sensitive detection of the analytes in such a complex matrix. A single-laboratory validation procedure was carried out evaluating selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, precision and accuracy. The method showed satisfactory analytical performance for precision and trueness, and allowed the determination of the compounds at low concentration. The proposed multi-method demonstrated that liquid chromatography coupled to an Orbitrap mass spectrometer is a promising analytical technique, suitable for official residue control of a variety of veterinary drugs in DGs supporting feed safety policies.