Research on degradation of penicillins in milk by β-lactamase using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The degradation of penicillin G, penicillin V, and ampicillin in milk in the presence of β-lactamase was investigated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Degradation products of the 3 penicillins in milk were identified based on the fact that the metabolites or degradation products contain a substructure of penicillin, and their degradation pathways in acidic milk in presence of β-lactamase were developed. The influence of factors on the degradation was investigated, including β-lactamase dosage, temperature, time, and acidity. The ratio of the 2 degradation products (penicilloic acid and penilloic acid) is different at different temperatures and pH. Penicilloic acid was the dominant species obtained at pH 6 under 40°C, but, being unstable, it could not be used as a standard for accurate analysis of penicilloic acid, and also could not be used as target for detection of penicillins in milk. Penilloic acid was the dominant species obtained at pH 2 above 40°C; it was stable and could be used as a standard for quantitative analysis and as target for detecting whether penicillins were used in milk.