Luminescent determination of quinolones in milk samples by liquid chromatography/post-column derivatization with terbium oxide nanoparticles.

The usefulness of terbium oxide nanoparticles (Tb4O7NPs) as post-column derivatizing reagent for the liquid chromatographic determination of residues of quinolone antibiotics in milk samples has been studied. Seven quinolones of veterinary use have been chosen as model analytes to develop this method. The derivatization step is based on the formation of luminescent chelates of quinolones with Tb4O7NPs, which are monitored at λex=340nm and λem=545nm. Another relevant feature of the method is that the use of a 10-cm column and a ternary mixture of methanol, acetonitrile and acetic acid as mobile phase in gradient elution mode allow the chromatographic separation of the quinolones in about 13min, whereas previously described chromatographic methods require about 20min. The dynamic ranges of the calibration graphs and limits of detection are, respectively: 65-900ngmL(-1) and 35ngmL(-1) for marbofloxacin, 7.2-900ngmL(-1) and 2.5ngmL(-1) for ciprofloxacin, 6-900ngmL(-1) and 2ngmL(-1) for danofloxacin, 50-900ngmL(-1) and 20ngmL(-1) for enrofloxacin, 35-900ngmL(-1) and 12ngmL(-1) for sarafloxacin, 5-900ngmL(-1) and 2ngmL(-1) for oxolinic acid, and 7-900ngmL(-1) and 2.5ngmL(-1) for flumequine. The precision, established at two concentration levels of each analyte and expressed as the percentage of the relative standard deviation is in the range of 1.9-8.1% using standards, and of 3.4-10.7% in the presence of milk samples. The method has been satisfactorily applied to the analysis of skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole milk samples, with recoveries ranging from 89.0 to 106.5%.