Rapid Hydrolysis and Derivatization of Nitrofuran Metabolites with a New Derivatizing Agent 5-Nitro-2-Furaldehyde in Their Determination in Chicken Meat by HPLC–MS/MS

We proposed a procedure for the rapid sample preparation of food samples for the determination of nitrofuran metabolites in them by HPLC–MS/MS, using 5-nitro-2-furaldehyde as a new derivatizing agent. Meat samples from broiler chickens treated with nitrofurans for 10 days were used to demonstrate that the time of hydrolysis–derivatization in a thermostated ultrasonic bath could be significantly shortened by raising temperature to 80°C and increasing the concentration of hydrochloric acid to 0.5 M. Metabolites of Furaltadone, Furazolidone, Nitrofurantoin, and Nitrofurazone in chicken meat, liver, stomach, and heart are determined using the developed procedure and an official method. The proposed method ensures the quantitative isolation of metabolites.