Title: Screening for antibiotic residues in swine and poultry tissues using the STAR test

Authors: Maria Liousia; Panagiota Gousia; Vangelis ?conomou; Hercules Sakkas; Chrissanthy Papadopoulou

Addresses: Faculty of Biological Applications and Technologies, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Greece; Department of Microbiology, Food Microbiology Group, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Greece ' Department of Microbiology, Food Microbiology Group, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Greece ' Department of Microbiology, Food Microbiology Group, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Technology of Foods of Animals Origin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece ' Department of Microbiology, Food Microbiology Group, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, 45110, Greece ' Department of Microbiology, Food Microbiology Group, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, 45110, Greece

Abstract: During a 12-month period, 138 tissue samples (muscle, liver, kidney) were screened for antibiotic residues (ARs), using the five-plate STAR test. Samples positive to one or more antibiotics were detected in 33.9% of the chicken samples and in 26% of the pig samples. All the chicken liver samples, 32.2% of the chicken muscle and 14% of the swine liver samples were positive to sulphonamides and β-lactams, 25% of the kidney, 11.1% of the liver and 4% of the muscle tissue of the swine samples and 1.7% of the chicken muscle samples were positive to tetracycline, 12.5% of the kidney and 4% of the muscle swine samples were positive to aminoglycosides and macrolides. No quinolone residues were detected in any samples. The use of a microbiological method such as the STAR-test, for ARs screening in food is an effective low cost scheme indicating potential contamination with ARs.

Keywords: STAR test; antibiotic residues; pork; chicken; antibiotic residue screening; swine tissues; poultry tissues; antibiotics; muscle tissue; liver tissue; kidney tissue; microbiology; food safety; food contamination.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFSNPH.2015.067572

International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, 2015 Vol.5 No.2, pp.173 - 183

Accepted: 23 Oct 2014
Published online: 18 Mar 2015 *

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