Recent Advances in the Determination of Veterinary Drug Residues in Food

Abstract

The presence of drug residues in food products has become a growing concern because of the adverse health risks and regulatory implications. Drug residues in food refer to the presence of pharmaceutical compounds or their metabolites in products such as meat, fish, eggs, poultry and ready-to-eat foods, which are intended for human consumption. These residues can come from the use of drugs in the field of veterinary medicine, such as antibiotics, antiparasitic agents, growth promoters and other veterinary drugs given to livestock and aquaculture with the aim of providing them as prophylaxis, therapy and for promoting growth. Various analytical techniques are used for this purpose to control the maximum residue limit. Compliance with the maximum residue limit is very important for food manufacturers according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Union (EU) regulations. Effective monitoring and control of drug residues in food requires continuous advances in analytical techniques. Few studies have been reviewed on sample extraction and preparation techniques as well as challenges and future directions for the determination of veterinary drug residues in food. This current review focuses on the overview of regulations, classifications and types of food, as well as the latest analytical methods that have been used in recent years (2020–2023) for the determination of drug residues in food so that appropriate methods and accurate results can be used. The results show that chromatography is still a widely used technique for the determination of drug residue in food. Other approaches have been developed including immunoassay, biosensors, electrophoresis and molecular-based methods. This review provides a new development method that has been used to control veterinary drug residue limit in food.

Comprehensive Screening of Salinomycin in Feed and Its Residues in Poultry Tissues Using Microbial Inhibition Tests Coupled to Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

“…The high percentage of antibiotic use in livestock farming and the presence of drug residues in food represent a serious problem because of their harmful effects on human health [ 10 ]. In order to avoid the presence of antibiotic residues in food, they must be strictly regulated in terms of their dose or withdrawal period.…”

“…The widespread use of different coccidiostats results in a considerable risk of their residues remaining in edible tissues. Coccidiostats residues in food exhibit undesirable toxicological effects, such as teratogenicity, hepatotoxicity, or neurotoxicity, at high doses in laboratory animals [ 10 , 11 ]. Carboxylic acid ionophores are potent pharmacological agents, exerting marked cardiovascular effects in experimental animal systems.…”

“…Initial screening methods ensure the selection of positive samples from a large number of initially tested samples [ 22 ]. Screening methods include microbial inhibition tests in tube [ 23 , 24 ] or plate [ 25 ] format [ 10 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. These methods are based on the detection of residues of inhibitory substances in a wide range of matrices, while the principle is the inhibition of the growth of the test organism by the action of the antibiotic present in the examined sample.…”

“…These methods are based on the detection of residues of inhibitory substances in a wide range of matrices, while the principle is the inhibition of the growth of the test organism by the action of the antibiotic present in the examined sample. Since in the case of screening it is only a matter of confirming or refuting the presence of inhibitory substances in the sample and thus it is a qualitative or semi-quantitative determination, to confirm the result it is necessary to use confirmatory methods based either on the chromatographic (LC-MS/MS) [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ] or immunological principles (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay—ELISA) [ 10 , 35 , 36 ].…”

Effects of Dietary Terminalia chebula Extract on Growth Performance, Immune Function, Antioxidant Capacity, and Intestinal Health of Broilers

“…Antibiotics can effectively reduce the harm to animals caused by intensive farming methods, improving the growth of livestock and poultry [ 7 ]. However, misuse has also emerged, leading to bacterial resistance, environmental contamination, and antimicrobial residues in food of animal origin [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Several countries have drafted legislation and regulations to prohibit the use of antibiotics in recent years.…”