Analysis of antibiotic residues in raw bovine milk and their impact toward food safety and on milk starter cultures in cheese-making process

Antibiotics and Non-Targeted Metabolite Residues Detection as a Comprehensive Approach toward Food Safety in Raw Milk

“…As a continuation of our previous study [ 6 ], the suitability of the 3 screening tests to set up the preliminary field monitoring analyses in raw bovine milk was evaluated by comparison with the HPLC-HRMS Orbitrap confirmatory multiclass analysis.…”

“…The 3 different screening kits used (Delvotest ® SP NT, Bioeasy—3in1 Macrolides, Charm QUAD1) and the protocols applied were well-described in previous work [ 6 ]. Briefly, quantities of 100, 200 and 300 µL for the Delvotest ® , Bioeasy—3in1, and Charm QUAD1, respectively, were dispensed in each well and incubated at different temperatures and times (64 °C for 3 h, 40 °C for 3 min 56 °C for 5 min, respectively), and the results were evaluated immediately after incubation.…”

“…This study is a continuation of our recent work mentioned above [ 6 ], but in this case the multiclass detection of antibiotics in milk through modern HPLC-HRMS, was carried out after protocols of therapeutic administration, respecting the withdrawal time. This study also evaluated the reliability of screening tests in comparison with HPLC-HRMS confirmation techniques, to verify the absence or possible presence of drugs in small concentrations which, despite the observance of withdrawal time, could still interfere with the technological processes, especially regarding PDO (Protected Denomination of Origin) products.…”

“…Often, to circumvent checks, small doses of drugs are used in cocktails for a synergistic effect. Furthermore, the presence of antibiotic residues in milk, even in low concentrations, can interfere with fermentation during technological cheese-making processes by inhibiting the starter culture, as was demonstrated in our previous work [ 6 ]. On the basis of these premises, despite the fact there are MRLs (maximum residue limits) for antibiotics intended for zootechnical animals (those that do not have a limit are prohibited) [ 7 ], it is increasingly desirable to reach zero residues in milk, not only from the point of view of a “One Health” logic, but also to limit technological problems during cheese-making that can lead to significant economic losses.…”

“…This study also evaluated the reliability of screening tests in comparison with HPLC-HRMS confirmation techniques, to verify the absence or possible presence of drugs in small concentrations which, despite the observance of withdrawal time, could still interfere with the technological processes, especially regarding PDO (Protected Denomination of Origin) products. Moreover, the targeted search for the previously administered antibiotics was implemented through a non-targeted search for their metabolites, which could still be pharmacologically active and could also interfere in the cheese-making process [ 6 ]. The proposed non-targeted approach with modern instrumentation and Compound Discoverer™ software could be useful to improve the knowledge about antimicrobial metabolites in milk due to the scarce literature, as shown in Table 1 .…”