Rapid determination of tricaine mesylate residues in fish samples using modified QuEChERS and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

A rapid and effective modified, quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method was developed for the determination of tricaine mesylate (MS-222) in fish samples using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Samples were extracted with the mixture of acetonitrile and acetate buffer, and then cleaned with primary/secondary amino (PSA) absorbents. The determination of MS-222 was achieved in less than 4.0 min using an electrospray ionization source in the positive mode (ESI+). The QuEChERS method was validated by evaluating the repeatability, linearity, precision, and trueness. The limit of detection (LOD) was 2.5 μg kg⁻¹ and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 10.0 μg kg⁻¹. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 2–1000 μg L⁻¹ (R² > 0.9999). Average recoveries of MS-222 were in the range of 79.6–119.7%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) lower than 6%.