Advances in the determination of β-lactam antibiotics by liquid chromatography

β-lactam antibiotics have been the most widely used antimicrobial drugs for more than 80 years and still constitute the most important group of antibiotics. Their extensive use in veterinary medicine practices as growth promoters, and chemotherapeutic and/or prophylactic agents causes numerous residues in foodstuffs which present a serious health hazard. For this reason, sensitive and specific methods for the quantification of these compounds in numerous matrices have been published.This article reviews the current status of the application of liquid-chromatography-based analytical methods in the analysis of β-lactam antibiotics. These methods are classified according to the different detection systems used: UV-visible spectrophotometry, mass spectrometry and other detection techniques such as fluorescence or chemiluminescence. We include applications in different fields (e.g., food, environmental, clinical and pharmaceutical).

► Critical review of analysis of β-lactam antibiotics by liquid chromatography.
► Detection modes and analytical applications of LC methods for β-lactam antibiotics.
► Advantages and drawbacks of sample preparation for LC of β-lactam antibiotics.