Determination of flunixin and 5-hydroxy flunixin residues in livestock and fishery products using LC-MS/MS

Flunixin is a veterinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent whose residues have been investigated in their original form within tissues such as muscle and liver. However, flunixin remains in milk as a metabolite, and 5-hydroxy flunixin has been used as the primary marker for its surveillance. This study aimed to develop a quantitative method for detecting flunixin and 5-hydroxy flunixin in milk and to strengthen the monitoring system by applying to other livestock and fishery products. Two different methods were compared, and the target compounds were extracted from milk using an organic solvent, purified with C₁₈, concentrated, and reconstituted using a methanol-based solvent. Following filtering, the final sample was analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Method 1 is environmentally friendly due to the low use of reagents and is based on a multi-residue, multi-class analysis method approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The accuracy and precision of both methods were 84.6−115% and 0.7−9.3%, respectively. Owing to the low matrix effect in milk and its convenience, Method 1 was evaluated for other matrices (beef, chicken, egg, flatfish, and shrimp) and its recovery and coefficient of variation are sufficient according to the Codex criteria (CAC/GL 71-2009). The limits of detection and quantification were 2−8 and 5−27 µg/kg for flunixin and 2−10 and 6−33 µg/kg for 5-hydroxy flunixin, respectively. This study can be used as a monitoring method for a positive list system that regulates veterinary drug residues for all livestock and fisheries products.