While the coupling of traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS) and mass spectrometry is mainly reported for structural purposes, we studied its potential in enhancing compounds analysis such as growth promoters used in livestock animals at trace concentrations. β-Adrenergic agonists have been selected as model compounds since they exhibit a range of close physicochemical properties leading to analytical issues using classical approaches. In this paper, the potential of Synapt G2-S (Q-TWIM-TOF MS) has been investigated for sensitive and specific detection of a range of these synthetic phenethanolamines in various complex biological matrices (retina, meat, and urine) from bovine considered as relevant in the context of detecting β-adrenergic agonists use in animals. In particular, the specificity of the additional information provided by the TWIMS (i.e., collision cross section) together with the interest of the extra dimension of separation is discussed.

Currently under development for therapeutic purposes in human medicine, non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulators (non-steroidal SARMs) are also known to impact growth associated pathways. As such, they present a potential for abuse in sports and food-producing animals as interesting alternative anabolic substances. Forbidden since 2008 by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) these compounds are however easily available and could be (mis)used in livestock production as growth promoters. To prevent such practices, dedicated analytical strategies have to be developed for specific and sensitive detection of these compounds in biological matrices. Using an innovative analytical platform constituted of supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to ion mobility-mass spectrometry, the present study enabled efficient separation and identification in urine of 4 of these drugs (andarine, bicalutamide, hydroxyflutamide, and enobosarm) in accordance with European Union criteria (Commission Decision 2002/657/EC). Besides providing information about compounds structure and behaviour in gas phase, such a coupling enabled reaching low limits of detection (LOD < 0.05 ng.mL for andarine and limits of detection < 0.005 ng.mL for the three others) in urine with good repeatability (CV < 21 %). The workflow has been applied to quantitative determination of enobosarm elimination in urine of treated bovine (200 mg, oral). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.