Food Residue Testing for Veterinary Medicines

Scope of  testing

Most food safety authorities around the world regulate the use of the following veterinary medicines, requiring food producers to certify their products free from residues below internationally accepted safe tolerances.

• Antibiotics - including aminoglycosides, phenicols and nitrofurans
• Anthelmintics - including benzimidazoles, salicylanilides and macrocyclic lactones
• Hormonal agents - including steroids and beta-agonists
• Poisons - including 1080 and anticoagulants
• Other vet meds - including non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and sedatives

Techniques used to test food for vet medicine residues

• Microbial inhibition testing (MIT)
• Thin-layer chromatography (TLC),
• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),
• High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC),
• Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
• Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

In addition, our team have experience in developing methods for detecting compounds in a wide range of products.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics we test for include:

• Aminoglycosides, Beta-Lactams, Cephalosporins, Lincosamides, Macrolides, Quinolones, Sulfonamides, and Tetracyclines - used in animal husbandry for a wide range of purposes for the control of bacteria and infection.
• Carbadox and olaquindox - used in animal husbandry primarily as feed additives to control bacterial infection in pigs.
• Amprolium and Nicarbazin - used in animal husbandry primarily as feed additives to control bacterial infection in poultry.
• Nitroimidazoles - used in animal husbandry primarily as feed additives to control bacterial infection in pigs and poultry.
• Nitrofurans - used in animal husbandry primarily as feed additives to control bacterial infection in pigs and poultry.
• Phenicols - used in animal husbandry primarily as feed additives to control bacterial infection, but also as a topically treatment for eye infections.
• Polyether Ionophores - used in animal husbandry primarily as feed additives to control bacterial infection in poultry. 
• Triphenylmethane Dyes - used in aquaculture for a wide range of purposes for the control of bacteria and infection.
• Virginiamycin - used in animal husbandry primarily as a feed additive to control bacterial infection in horses.

Anthelmintics

Anthelmintics we test for include:

• Benzimidazoles, Imidazothiazoles, Tetrahydropyrimidines, Praziquantel -used in animal husbandry for a wide range of purposes for the control of lungworms, roundworms, tapeworms and liver flukes.
• Macrocyclic Lactones (Avermectins and Milbemycins) - used in animal husbandry for a wide range of purposes for the control of lungworms and roundworms.
• Salicylanilides - used in animal husbandry for a wide range of purposes for the control of lungworms, roundworms, tapeworms and liver flukes.

Hormonal agents

Hormonal agents we test for include:

• Beta-Agonists - used in animal husbandry primarily as feed additives to increase protein and decrease fat in pigs.
• Steroids - used in animal husbandry primarily regulate fertility in cattle.
• Thyreostats - used in animal husbandry primarily to induce weight gain in cattle.

Poisons

Poisons we test for include:

• 1080 - used as a rodenticide to control possums and in some countries coyotes.
• Anticoagulants - used as rodenticides to control mice and rats.

Other vet meds

Other vet meds we test include:

• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) - used in animal husbandry primarily as topically or injectable treatments to control inflammatory in cattle and horses. 
• Sedatives - used in animal husbandry primarily as topically or injectable treatments to induce sedation, analgesia and muscle relaxation deer and horses.