Development and Validation of an Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method to Determine Maduramicin in Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) and Evaluate Food Safety

Maduramicin (MAD) is widely introduced into aquatic environments and results in the contamination of fish products. Worryingly, the consumption of MAD-contaminated crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) may induce symptoms of Haff disease. In this study, to monitor this potential contamination and to understand the residue and elimination characteristics of MAD in edible tissues of crayfish, a sensitive and efficient ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed, validated, and applied. After extraction with acetonitrile and purification by solid-phase extraction column, multiple-reaction monitoring mass spectrometry with positive ionization mode was used to determine MAD’s residues. The limits of detection and of quantification were 6 μg·kg(−1) and 20 μg·kg(−1), respectively. The fortified recoveries ranged from 74.2% to 110.4%, with relative standard deviation of 1.2% to 10.1%. Furthermore, MAD was completely eliminated after 3 and 5 days from abdominal muscle and hepatopancreas tissues of crayfish, respectively. The maximum residue limits (MRLs) of MAD respectively was 200 μg·kg(−1) in muscle and 600 μg·kg(−1) in the hepatopancreas, and its withdrawal time in both edible tissues was 25.8 °C·d. Collectively, the results of this study indicate the proposed method is an efficient tool to evaluate the public health risk associated with crayfish consumption.