Study on Photo-degradation of Sulfamerazin in Honey Samples by Accurate Mass LC-MS/MS

Abstract

Antibiotics are used in apiculture as a remedy against bacterial infection of honey bees. Applied antibiotics can eventually come to the final product, honey. Since Apiculture process is performed in open environment, environmental factors such as sunlight, moisture etc. may have an effect in the final concentration of these antibiotics in honey. Hence, modification of antibiotics by photo radiation in honey samples is of great interest. Degradation organic compounds such as antibiotics is slow at room temperature. By absorption of sunlight, which include both UV radiation and IR radiation, antibiotics undergo degradation in presence of moisture. Moisture along with ozone can produce hydroxyl radicals which are believed to be responsible for degradation of these chemical species.  In this study, photodegradation of Sulfamerazin is studied by using high resolution Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Honey sample is spiked with Sulfamerazin and subjected to sunlight for 20 days. After 20 days sample is subjected to extraction of analyte followed by instrumental analysis. Result showed that Sulfamerazin is getting degraded by the sunlight and degradation products are characterized by generating the fragmentation pattern. Degraded product having molecular formula of C₁₄H₁₉N is identified with 99.1% score of identification. However, the proposed structure of photo modified product, m/z: 201 and its fragment m/z:159 need to be confirmed by other confirmatory tests such as NMR.