Multiresidue chromatographic method for the determination of antibiotic residues in honey by high-performance liquid chromatography with DAD detection

Clandestinely, consumers may be exposed to antibiotic (ATB) residues in honey, which could pose a health concern. For the first time, the simultaneous determination of Florfenicol (FF), Penicillin G (PG), and Tetracycline is described in this paper. The multiresidual method was developed and optimized using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a diode array detector (DAD). These ATBs were separated on a C18 analytical column after a cleanup process followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE). For the first time, the chromatographic conditions were perfected. After the method validation process, the method was used to assess ATB residues in four Lebanese honey samples. ATBs were separated in less than 15 min with an isocratic elution using a mixture of 80 % potassium dihydrogen phosphate aqueous solution, and 20 % acetonitrile. The UV detection was performed at 350 nm for TC, 224 nm for FF, and 230 nm for PG. The proposed method was linear (R2 ≥ 0.996) within the concentration ranges of 0.7-17.5 mg.Kg 1 for the three compounds. Both intra- and inter-day precision, expressed as RSD, were ≤15 %. The method was subsequently successfully applied to analyze examined ATB residues in honey samples collected from Lebanese beekeeping. The method described could be a valuable tool to conduct a comprehensive survey of honey samples produced in Lebanon, especially in the lack of serious national oversight.