A constant battle for holistic living and an existence free from over-medication has seen a spike in the last few years. The extensive use of antibiotics has been under sharp criticism from scientists, the world over.
In a recent study, scientists from the University of Almeria, or UAL, Spain, have confirmed the trace presence of veterinary antibiotics in milk powder and meat-based baby food. A novel approach has been devised to detect the drug presence in baby food samples.
Professor Antonia Garrido of Analytical Chemistry department at UAL has developed a 'multi-residue' method which paves way for multiple drugs to be detected at any given point in baby food.
The new method collates Chromatographic techniques - to separate the compounds, and Mass spectrometry - to identify the drugs, such as Tilmicosine, or anti-parasitic drugs, such as Levamisole usually used to treat livestock.
The study published in the Food Chemistry journal affirmed the presence of five veterinary drugs in milk and ten in meat-based baby products. Sulfonamides, Macrolides and other potential fungicides were found at an increased rate in poultry products.
Results and data from the study reveal the presence of these drugs varying from 0.5 to 25.2 µg/kg in milk and 1.2 to 26.2 µg/kg in poultry/meat-based products.
The study envisages the presence of the veterinary drugs to be minimal and is not an issue for immediate worry but drives home the point of stepping in and invoke regulatory measures. When antibiotic resistance and mutation in microbes are on the rise, a study and method such as this will go a long way in helping to devise better screening and regulatory measures.
by RTT Staff Writer
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