The application of the QuEChERS methodology in the determination of antibiotics in food: A review

Antibiotic residues in food should be concerned seriously because they constitute potential threats to human health. The rapid and accurate determination of antibiotic residues in food must be a tough challenge due to the large number of interfering substances in food matrices. However, the traditional sample preparation methods are not only time-consuming and laborious, but also require many toxic organic solvents. This is why new preparation methods need to be developed to meet new analysis needs. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe preparation technique, known as QuEChERS, was introduced in 2003. As its name implies, this technique, combined with LC or GC tandem mass spectrometry, can effectively separate multiple complex compounds in a short time. Initially, QuEChERS was widely used to analyze pesticide residues in food. Nevertheless, more and more researchers began to apply the QuEChERS technique to extract other compounds with various complex matrices in recent years, and the advantages of high efficiency and good results has once again proved the potential of this technique. In this paper, the development and application of QuEChERS for antibiotic residues in food were reviewed, and the research progress on modification and optimization of the QuEChERS methodology in sample treatment, extraction and purification is summarized in detail.