Rapid and selective determination of multi-sulfonamides by high-performance thin layer chromatography coupled to fluorescent densitometry and electrospray ionization mass detection

•A screening-oriented method based on HPTLC-FLD-ESI/MS was proposed for sulfonamide residues in foods.•Selective quantitation by fluorescence densitometry was validated to meet the strictest residue limits.•An efficient HPTLC-MS detection was used for rapid identification of detected zones.•Screening tasks can be done with high throughput at relatively low costs. In the European Union (EU), sulfonamides are among the most widely administrated groups of antibiotics in animal husbandry. Therefore, monitoring their residues in edible animal tissues plays an important role in the EU food safety framework. In this work, a simple and efficient method for the rapid screening of twelve prior sulfonamides frequently prescribed as veterinary drugs by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) was established. Sample extracts obtained with acetonitrile were tenfold concentrated and applied to HPTLC without any further cleanup. Following separation and fluram derivatization, sensitive and selective quantitation of the analytes can readily be accomplished with fluorescent densitometry. Limits of detection and quantitation were 15–40 and 35–70μg/kg, respectively. Additionally, a confirmative detection by HPTLC-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPTLC-ESI/MS) was optimized, offering straightforward identification of target zones. Therefore, the risk of potential false positive findings can efficiently be reduced. The method was validated to meet the enforced commission regulation (EU) No. 37/2010, regarding different matrix complexities (bovine milk, porcine liver and kidney).