A rapid analytical method for the simultaneous detection of four metabolites of nitrofuran in eggs by the ultra pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was established.MethodsThe metabolites in egg samples were released in HCl solution, and reacted with the 2-nitrobenzaldehyde (2-NBA). The stable derivatives were extracted by ethyl acetate, and centrifuged at. The transparent liquid was detected. The identification was achieved by electro spray ionization in positive mode using multiple reaction monitoring. The quantification was performed by the matrix matched internal standards. ResultsThe calibration curves of the four analytes showed a good linearity between 0.1 and 50 μg/L, and the correlation coefficient was above 0.995. Recoveries were between 74.1% and 97.6% with RSD less than 13.4%. The limits of detection of SEM and AHD were 0.1 μg/kg, and the limits of detection of AMOZ and AOZ were 0.05 μg/kg.ConclusionThe method has the advantages of simple pretreatment, high sensitivity and good reproducibility, which is suitable for the determination of four nitrofuran metabolites in eggs.