Abstract: A method was developed for the simultaneous detection of 46 foodborne stimulant drug residues in animal-derived foods by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The samples were enzymatically digested for 16 h at 37 ℃, extracted with acetonitrile, defatted with n-hexane saturated with acetonitrile, purified by dispersive solid phase extraction (DSPE) with octadecylsilane bonded silica (C18) and neutral alumina as adsorbents, and finally separated on a Waters ACQUITY BEH C18 column by gradient elution using a mixture of 0.005% formic acid and methanol as the mobile phase. The detection was operated using an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer in both the positive and negative ion modes, and quantitation was performed by the external standard method. The results showed that good linear relationships were obtained for all the analytes in the investigated concentration ranges with correlation coefficients more than 0.998. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.05–1.0 μg/kg, and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 0.1–2.0 μg/kg. Average recoveries of the analytes in pork ranged from 76.0% to 111.9%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.3%–12.4%. The developed method is simple, rapid and practical, and can provide effective technical support for the detection of foodborne stimulant drug residues.

Key words: ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; foodborne stimulant drugs; animal-derived foods; quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe