Development of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method with modified QuEChERS extraction for the quantification of mebendazole and its metabolites, albendazole and its metabolites, and levamisole in edible tissues of aquatic animals.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantitative method was developed for determining mebendazole and its metabolites, albendazole and its metabolites, and levamisole in muscles of bluntnose black bream, shrimp, eel and turtle based on modified QuEChERS methodology. The method included 2 g of the muscle matrix with 10 mL acetonitrile, and 0.8 g of magnesium sulphate and 0.2 g of sodium chloride for liquid-liquid partitioning. After vortex and centrifugation, the resulting liquid (5.5 mL) was purified by C18 (50 mg) and Al-N (50 mg). The limits of detection were lower than 0.3 μg kg-1 and the limits of quantitation were no more than 1 μg kg-1 for all analytes. The recoveries of the analytes ranged from 80.0% to 113.7% with the relative standard derivation less than 10.0%. The preparation procedure provided efficient extraction and purification that enabled a sensitive and rugged determination of target compounds.