Determination of tylosin residues in pig tissues using high-performance liquid chromatography

In accordance with the maximum residue limit of 100 µg kg–1 established by EU legislation, a simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the measurement of tylosin residues in pig tissues (fat, kidney, liver and muscle). Tylosin, a macrolide antibiotic, is extracted with water–methanol and cleaned-up by solid-phase extraction (SPE) on cation-exchange cartridges using methanol elution. Tylosin was determined by reversed-phase HPLC with UV detection at 280 nm and the mean recovery from pig tissues fortified in the range 50–200 µg kg–1 was 70–85%, with intra- and inter-day RSDs in the ranges 3.4–9.1 and 3.9–10.1% respectively.