Detection of antibacterial residues in milk by HPLC-DAD and microbial inhibitor tests

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the detection sensitivity of four commercial microbial inhibition assays (MIAs) in comparison with the results by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection (HPLC-DAD) for residues of three tetracyclines, trimethoprim and sulfadiazine in fortified raw milk samples. MIAs showed fairly good results at detecting sulfadiazine residues, whereas concerning tetracyclines and trimethoprim residues, most of the kits showed insufficient results. HPLC analysis revealed high recoveries of examined compounds with detection limits below their respective maximum residue levels (MRLs). The HPLC method was validated determining linearity, accuracy, precision, detection capability and decision limit. Subsequently, both methods were used to monitor several cow and sheep milk samples for the presence of antibacterial agents. Results obtained showed that MIAs could be successfully used for the analysis of different milk types. However, milk spoilage which was observed in some cases could decrease the sensitivity of the kits, a fact that does not seem to influence the effectiveness of HPLC-DAD method.

Keywords

• cow milk
• chromatography
• microbial inhibition assays
• tetracyclines
• trimethoprim
• sulphadiazine