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Coccidiostats are a group of veterinary antibiotics, the residues of which in, e.g. meat or other edible tissues, are potentially dangerous to human health and life. Thus, it is important to effectively prevent intoxications. For that purpose it is essential to gather data on those antibiotics. Coccidiostats are used mainly in treating and preventing coccidiosis – a disease of the intestinal track of animals, especially of the poultry, caused by parasitic protozoans of the Eimeria genus. Two major groups are used – polyether ionophores and chemical coccidiostats, which differ in origin and mechanisms of action. Their application is governed by the Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council, in which the application of the following 11 coccidiostats was authorized: salinomycin, narasin, monensin, maduramicin, semduramicin, lasalocid, robenidine, nicarbazin, halofuginone, diclazuril and decoquinate. Each of the mentioned coccidiostat present in the products of animal origin can lead to intoxication resulting from production errors and poor manufacturing practices. The effects of those compounds in food include symptoms such as: polyneuropathy, rhabdomyolysis, hypercalcaemia, respiratory failure and even death of patients. The coccidiostats are irreplaceable in treating coccidiosis, which can always be associated with the possibility of their occurrence in food. The present-day methods used to identify these medicines make it possible to monitor the products as regards the occurrence thereof and to reduce the risk of exceeding safe dose limits as set out in the relevant legal acts.

Coccidiostats are drugs used against coccidiosis, a common disease among breeding animals. Their widespread application leads to the appearance of their residues in food, which is potentially harmful for human health and life. The European Union has established limits of concentrations of these drugs in premixtures and food. Nowadays, there are many methods for monitoring coccidiostats’ presence in market products, but their frequent weakness is sample preparation. Solvent Front Position Extraction is a planar chromatography-based sample preparation method that allows for effective assay of samples with coccidiostats when coupled with LC-MS/MS. The purpose of this research was to find common conditions for the effective isolation of eight coccidiostats from biological sample components with both lower and higher retention than the substances of interest. The acquired results were used for effective isolation of monensin and salinomycin from the premixture samples and allowed for their quantitative determination. The application of a semi-automatic device for the development of chromatograms positively impacted the results, confirming the effectiveness of the method for determining coccidiostats in biological samples.

Solvent Front Position Extraction is a novel technique developed for effective sample preparation of biological samples containing coccidiostats prior to LC–MS/MS. In this study the technique was used for isolation and determination of seven coccidiostats, from both main groups being: ionophores and chemical coccidiostats. Its effectiveness was evaluated by comparing with other sample preparation procedures, used in European routine laboratories. Results obtained by Solvent Front Position Extraction were very satisfactory (linearity R2 ≥ 0.971, recovery 90.1–111.1%, RSDr: 8.7–16.6%, RSDR: 9.0–17.7%) and fulfilled requirements described in Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/808 of 22 March 2021, which showed great potential of the technique in sample preparation of coccidiostats in poultry feed.