Methods of Analysis for the Determination of Veterinary Drugs in Food: Focus on Antimicrobials

Abstract An overview of the methods of analysis that are currently being used for the determination of veterinary drugs in food is presented. Hyphenated techniques, mainly those based on the coupling of chromatographic separation and mass spectrometry detection have proven to be more appropriate. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) with quadrupole mass analyzers is still the most used analytical technique for the purpose, but high‐resolution mass analyzers are becoming more accessible and more frequently employed, due to their capability of untargeted screening, elucidation power of molecular structures of unknown substances and retrospective analysis. Among the sample preparation methods, modified QuEChERS extractions have brought considerable benefits regarding simplifications of sample preparation steps, resulting in cheaper and high throughput methods for veterinary drugs in complex matrices such as foods. A trend to implement more cost‐effective methods has led to attempts to include veterinary drugs, pesticides, mycotoxins, and environmental contaminants in multi‐residue mega‐methods.