Interference Free HPLC-SERS for the Trace Analysis of Residual Furazolidones in the Aquaculture Sediment

Abstract

Furazolidone (FZD), a typical highly effective nitrofuran antibiotic, has been banned in aquaculture for its carcinogenicity and other adverse health effects, but it is still wildly used for its low cost and significant efficacy. Since FZD will be rapidly metabolized in living organisms, the traditional standard mass spectrometry method can quantitatively analyze trace amount of FZD by detecting its derivative. However, a rapid qualitative analysis method is more consistent with market demand in regular monitoring. In this study, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to separate and purify FZD from the sea cucumber culture sediment, and the purified effluent was combined with a substrate of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection. The absolute detection limit of FZD by SERS is 1 ng, and the detection limit of FZD in actual sediment samples is less than 1 μg/kg. The cost and period of FZD analysis by HPLC-SERS are greatly reduced for the omission of derivatization compared with the traditional mass spectrometry method, which can better meet the requirements of practical applications.