Development and optimization of confirmatory liquid chromatography—Orbitrap mass spectrometry method for the determination of 17 anticoccidials in poultry and eggs

•A simple and sensitive UPLC/HRMS method for the evaluation of 17 anticoccidials in eggs and poultry.•Use of experimental designs to evaluate and optimize the performance of the HRMS method.•Method validation according to the Commision Decision 2002/657/EC.•Assessment of anticoccidials within a monitoring program. A new sensitive and selective multi-residue method based on liquid chromatography - Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-Orbitrap-HRMS) was developed and validated for the determination of 17 anticoccidials in poultry and eggs. Instrumental parameters were optimized by the means of statistical experimental designs to improve the sensitivity, precision, and repeatability of the method. Further optimization of auto-tuned MS parameters led to an increase of signal intensity by 10% to 99% for 16 out of 17 analytes. The sample preparation procedure included extraction from muscle tissue and egg samples with acetonitrile, followed by preconcentration, reconstitution, and filtration. Validation was performed according to the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The occurrence of anticoccidials in eggs and poultry was assessed by using the developed analytical procedure within the Latvian national monitoring program, revealing quantifiable residues for 6 analytes (marker residue of nicarbazin - 4,4′-dinitrocarbanilide (DNC), salinomycin, narasin, toltrazuril, and its two metabolites).