Advances in Micro-Ultrahigh-Preformance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Residue and Contaminant Analysis

Advances in nano-ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (nUHPLC) and "plug-and-play" micro-UHPLC (µUHPLC) for the detection of veterinary drugs and steroids in porcine meat and urine respectively are described. Recent developments in "plug-and-play" µUHPLC devices offer several advantages compared to earlier micro-LC systems. As well as the ease of use, solvent consumption can be reduced by more than 95% and the amount of sample required can be reduced 10-fold. In addition, the performance and the robustness of the µUHPLC sytem described is comparable to conventional UHPLC, and can be successfuly applied for the routine analysis of residues and contaminants in food.