LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF SULFONAMIDES IN FOODS

A procedure for the simultaneous determination of several sulfonamides in different foods, such as honey, milk and eggs is proposed. The ana lysis is carried out using reversed phase liquid chromatography with s pectrophotometric detection. Optimization of the mobile phase led to g ood separation and a short analysis time when an initial isocratic ste p with a 3:97 acetonitrile:water mixture was used for 5 minutes, follo wed by a linear gradient up to a 40:60 mixture over 15 min. The propos ed method is suitable for routine quality control analysis to ensure t he absence of sulfonamides in foods. Recovery studies yielded good res ults for all food samples because there were no interferences from the matrices.