Identification of Multiple Sites of Intra-Molecular Protonation and Different Fragmentation Patterns within the Fluoroquinolone Class of Antibiotics in Porcine Muscle Extracts Using Travelling Wave Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

The fluoroquinolones are a class of antimicrobial agents that have been administered to livestock for different purposes. Due to the concerns regarding the spread of resistant microorganisms in the human population, the U.S. FDA introduced a ban, and the use of antibiotic growth promoting agents (AGPs) has been forbidden in the EU. This study uses orthogonal mobility separation from travelling wave ion mobility to analyze porcine samples. Based on the observations of the characteristic ionization for the fluoroquinolone compounds included in this study, using UPLC IMS MSE for method development purposes is warranted.