An Effective Acid–Base-Induced Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Based on Deep Eutectic Solvents for Determination of Testosterone and Methyltestosterone in Milk

An environmentally friendly method for the determination of testosterone and methyltestosterone by acid–base-induced deep eutectic solvents liquid–liquid microextraction (DES-ABLLME) combining with high-performance liquid chromatography was established. The deep eutectic solvent (DES) consisting of menthol:lauric acid:decanoic acid (3:1:1) can act as both hydrogen bond donor and hydrogen bond acceptor. In this approach, ammonia solution (NH3•H2O) is used as an emulsifier to react with DESs in the extraction process to generate salt and form milky white solution, achieving high extraction efficiency. Hydrochloric acid was used as a phase separator to change the emulsification state and promote the separation of extraction agent from water phase. A series of parameters were optimized including the volume of DES and the emulsifying agent, glucose concentration as well as hydrochloric acid volume. The method was linear in the range 0.5–100 μg mL−1 with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9999, and the limits of detection were 0.067 and 0.2 μg mL−1 for testosterone and methyltestosterone, respectively. This method was applied to analyze testosterone and methyltestosterone in milk samples, and the recoveries were between 89.2 and 108.2%.