Past, present and future of mass spectrometry in the analysis of residues of banned substances in meat‐producing animals

Abstract

A residue is a trace (µg kg −1 , ng kg −1 ) of a substance, present in a matrix. Banned substances, such as growth promoters, which are abused in animal fattening and where this article is focused on, may be divided into four major groups: thyreostats, anabolics or anabolic steroids, corticosteroids and beta-agonists or repartitioning agents. The combination of chromatographic techniques with mass spectrometry (GC-MS n , LC-MS n , etc.) plays a key role in the production of specific results in residue analysis. In this review, the past, present and future of mass spectrometry in this area are discussed in the light of the impact of these substances on human health and the reliable production of analytical results, ready for challenge in a court.

Natural Hormones in Food-Producing Animals:Legal Measurements and Analytical Implications

“…With regard to the confirmation of use of xenobiotic analogues of natural sex steroids and non-steroidal compounds, such as stilbenes and zeranol, there is an extensive range of successful methods that has been performed on different analytic matrices. These analytical procedures have made the confirmation of illicit administrations of anabolics in cattle feasible (De Brabander et al, 2007;Duffy et al, 2009;Kaklamanos et al, 2011;Noppe et al, 2008).…”

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry in high-throughput confirmation and quantification of 34 anabolic steroids in bovine muscle

“…The use of anabolic steroids for growth promotion purposes in meat producing animals results in an improvement of muscle growth, more lean meat and a higher feed conversion efficiency [1,2]. However, toxicological/epidemiological studies show that these compounds pose a risk for public health.…”

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of nine corticosteroid residues in bovine liver samples

“…However, as GC-MS methods require time-consuming preliminary derivatization or oxidation steps, nowadays LC-MS/MS, typically with electrospray ionisation (ESI), is the technique of choice for the unambiguous identification of corticosteroids at detection limits fit for purpose. LC-MS/MS has permitted significant improvements in terms of sensitivity and specificity [2,9].…”