Cross-sectional, commercial testing, and chromatographic study of the occurrence of antibiotic residues throughout an artisanal raw milk cheese production chain

This study investigated antibiotic utilization in artisanal dairies and residue occurrence throughout the raw milk cheese production chain using commercial testing (Charm KIS and Eclipse Farm3G) and UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS and LC-QqQ-MS/MS. The cross-sectional survey results revealed gaps in the producers' knowledge of antibiotic use. Commercial testing detected antibiotic levels close to the LOD in 12.5 % of the samples, mainly in raw milk and whey, with 10.0 % testing positive, specifically in fresh and ripened cheeses, indicating that antibiotics are concentrated during cheese-making. Chromatographically, several antibiotics were identified in the faeces of healthy animals, with chlortetracycline (15.7 ± 34.5 µg/kg) and sulfamethazine (7.69 ± 16.5 µg/kg) predominating. However, only tylosin was identified in raw milk (3.28 ± 7.44 µg/kg) and whey (2.91 ± 6.55 µg/kg), and none were found in fresh or ripened cheeses. The discrepancy between commercial and analytical approaches is attributed to compounds or metabolites not covered chromatographically.

Detection of antibiotic residues among raw beef in Erbil City (Iraq) and impact of temperature on antibiotic remains

The presence of antibiotic residues in beef is considered a serious threat to public health. This study aimed to detect antibiotic residues in raw beef and the impact of low and high temperature treatments on residues persistence. A total of 250 sampleswere collected from retail markets in Erbil city (Iraq) and analyzed microbiologically in plates pre-inoculated with Bacillus subtilis. The overall occurrence of antibiotics residues was (10.8%).The highest rate was detected in January (16.7%). Cooking for thirty minutes completely deactivate antibiotic residues against the challenged bacterium. In conclusion, the presence of antibiotic residues in beef samples in Erbil city was high and their persistence is markedly reduced by cooking.