A simple method of isolation of chloramphenicol in honey and its estimation by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

To detect sub-ppb levels of the antibiotic chloramphenicol in honey matrix, a convenient method of extraction and measurement using liquid chromatography with detection by tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed. Honey samples fortified with chloramphenicol and isotopically labeled chloramphenicol were extracted using diatomaceous-based supported liquid-liquid extraction cartridges to generate a standard calibration curve. Four MS/MS transitions were used for quantification and four other transitions for confirmation of chloramphenicol. The limit of detection for chloramphenicol was 0.05 ng/g and the lower limit of quantification was 0.1 ng/g. Several commercial honey samples were analyzed for chloramphenicol content using this method. (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.