HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF BILIRUBIN AND BILIVERDIN FROM JAUNDICED BROILERS

A sensitive and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) m ethod was developed and used for the simultaneous determination of bil irubin and biliverdin in pericardial fluid samples collected from broi lers at a poultry inspection site. A photodiode array detector disting uishing the bilirubin (UV 450 nm) and biliverdin (365 nm) was used as an analytical detector for HPLC system. An internal-surface reversed-p hase silica support column was used, and the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile: 0.5 M Tris HCl buffer (20:80, pH 7.2). Bilirubin was de tected from all of the jaundiced pericardial fluid samples, and a smal l amount of biliverdin was detected with bilirubin in some samples. Th ese jaundiced broilers had hepatic or bile duct lesions similar to tho se found in edible animals. From these results, a working definition o f jaundiced broilers for poultry inspection sites was suggested: bilir ubin is detectable from pericardial fluid and the carcass is in a stat e of yellow color change.