Development and Validation of Europium-Sensitized Luminescence (ESL) Method for the Determination of Tetracycline Residues in Milk

The development of a fast and reliable screening method for the determination of tetracycline residues in milk is described and compared to high-performance liquid chromatography. The method is based on europium-sensitized luminescence: The emissive properties of the lanthanide cation are used as a fingerprint of europium (III) complexation with tetracycline. The optimization of the extraction and purification procedures provided a simple and convenient route to prepare stable tetracycline samples that can safely resist freezing cycles. The method is validated for the first time in milk matrix: The results show that accuracy and precision of the method meet complaints with the criteria of the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The proposed method has a false compliant rate (β error) lower than 5%.