To establish a method for qualitative and quantitative determination of canthaxanthine and β-Apo-8'-carotenoic ethyl ester in eggs.Methods The analytes were extracted from the samples with acetonitrile. After cleaned up with silica SPE column, samples were analyzed by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) with an electrospray interface in positive ionisation mode. The validation of the method consisted of limit of determination (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), precision and recovery. Results The LODs for canthaxanthine and β-Apo-8'-carotenoic ethyl ester were 1 and 10 μg/kg, and the average recoveries were in the range of 72.2%-91.9% with the relative standard deviations(RSD) of 4.6%-7.1% (n=5). Conclusion The results indicated that this method was simple, rapid, sensitive and suitable for the determination of canthaxanthine and β-Apo-8'-carotenoic ethyl ester in eggs.