The Applicability of Essential Oils in Different Stages of Production of Animal-Based Foods

Essential oils (EOs) have been used for centuries, and interest in these compounds has been revived in recent years. Due to their unique chemical composition as well as antimicrobial, immunostimulatory, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, EOs are used in pharmacology, cosmetology and, increasingly, in animal breeding and rearing, and processing of animal raw materials. Essential oils have become a natural alternative to preservatives, taste enhancers and, most importantly, antibiotics, because the European Union banned the use of antibiotics in metaphylaxis in animal husbandry in 2006. In the animal production chain, EOs are used mainly as feed additives to improve feed palatability and increase feed intake, improve animal resistance and health status, and to prevent and treat diseases. Recent research indicates that EOs can also be applied to sanitize poultry houses, and they can be used as biopesticides in organic farming. Essential oils effectively preserve meat and milk and, consequently, improve the safety, hygiene and quality of animal-based foods. Novel technologies such as encapsulation may increase the bioavailability of EOs and their application in the production of food and feed additives.     

Determination of amprolium, carbadox, monensin, and tylosin in surface water by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Antibiotics present in the environment are recently considered as emerging contaminants, and have raised increasing concerns about their potential risks to ecosystems and human health. In addition to the utilization for treatment, antibiotics are also routinely added as supplements in livestock feed to promote animal growth. A portion of the administered dose used for these purposes can be excreted into animal manure, and land application of the animal manure as plant fertilizers enhances the dissemination of antibiotics in the environment. It is a common practice to simultaneously administer multiple classes of antibiotics to livestock in an animal production farm. This study attempts to develop a protocol to determine four commonly used veterinary pharmaceuticals, amprolium, carbadox, monensin, and tylosin, in surface runoff from a livestock farm. A single-cartridge solid-phase extraction procedure was developed to simultaneously extract these veterinary antibiotics from surface water which were subsequently analyzed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The extraction recoveries of spiked samples ranged from 89 to 113%, and the limits of quantitation were 8, 25, 1, and 35 ng/L for amprolium, carbodox, monensin, and tylosin, respectively. In the surface runoff from a livestock farm, amprolium was most frequently detected with the concentration range of 10-288 ng/L. Monensin was frequently detected with concentrations up to 37 ng/L. Tylosin was detected in two out of eleven samples, and carbadox was not detected in the surface runoff. The results indicate that the developed analytical method can be utilized to determine multiple classes of veterinary antibiotics present in surface runoff originating from animal farms.     

A review of analytical methods for the determination of aminoglycoside and macrolide residues in food matrices

The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria has been attributed to the overuse of antimicrobials in human medicine. Another route by which humans are exposed to antibiotics is through the animal foods we eat. In modern agricultural practice, veterinary drugs are being used on a large scale, administered for treating infection or prophylactically to prevent infection. Hence, there is pressure on analytical scientists to detect and confirm the presence of antimicrobials in foods of animal origin.The aminoglycosides and macrolides are two families of antibiotics, each with important applications in veterinary medicine. These antibiotics are widely used in the treatment of bacterial disease, e.g., aminoglycosides for mastitis and macrolides for enteric infections. They have also been used as feed additives for growth promotion. As a result, legislation has been laid down by the European commission in which member states must meet strict criteria for monitoring residues (including antimicrobials). Testing for low levels of aminoglycosides and macrolides in foods is a priority and hence the development of fast, reliable, sensitive methods for their extraction and subsequent analysis is of great interest.This paper reviews analytical methods for both extracting and determining these classes of antibiotics in various food matrices focusing in particular on the last 10 years. Extraction and clean-up methods such as deproteinisation, and solid-phase extraction are described. Various screening methods are also covered including thin layer chromatography (TLC), enzyme immunoassay, capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microbiological assays. Finally, liquid chromatography (LC) methods are discussed which are combined with mass spectrometry (MS) when sensitivity requirements are stringent.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of β-agonists in animal feed and drinking water

A reproducible, sensitive and selective multiresidue analytical method for seven β-agonists: clenbuterol (CBT), clenpenterol (CPT), ractopamine (RTP), brombuterol (BBT), mabuterol (MBT), mapenterol (MPT), and hydroxymethylclenbuterol (HMCBT) was developed and validated by using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) in feed and drinking water samples. The validation was achieved according to the criteria laid down in the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC, however it was necessary to use minimum required performance limits (MRPLs) proposed by the Community Reference Laboratories (CRLs) due to the lack of maximum residue limits (MRLs) for β-agonists. By setting up these MRPLs, allows controlling their use in safe mode, since β-agonists are commonly used in veterinary medicine sometime in a fraudulent manner, for increasing the weigh of animals. Values set for both matrices studied are 50 μg/kg for animal feed, and a range from 0.2 to 10 μg/L for drinking water. CCα values calculated were under the MRPLs suggested; for drinking water the lowest value obtained was 0.12 μg/L, and for animal feed 0.87 μg/kg. Values for CCβ were ranged from 0.08 to 0.13 μg/L in drinking water and from 0.5 to 0.92 μg/kg in animal feed samples. The excellence values obtained, allowed us to conclude that the proposed analytical method is capable to control the β-agonists studied in both matrices and that it can be successfully applied and used as a routine method in laboratories of residue analysis of veterinary food control.     

用于抗生素检测的纳米材料基电化学传感器研究进展

近年来,抗生素作为基本的治疗药物在医学、畜牧业、水产养殖业等方面被广泛应用,但其过量使用造成的抗生素残留问题也给生态环境、食品安全和人类健康造成严重的威胁。鉴于此,纳米电化学传感器在抗生素快速检测方面的研究成为热点,也取得了可观的进展。本文首先对抗生素进行了简单介绍,通过分析抗生素的电化学性质,综述了不同结构和类型的纳米电化学传感器在多种基质中检测抗生素的应用,以强调纳米材料构建电化学平台对抗生素检测的重要性,并对该领域的发展前景做了展望。     

Evolution of a fungal ecosystem in a water distribution system to a positive bacterial biofilm subsequent to a treatment using essential oils

The present study aims to demonstrate the direct link between the microbial ecosystem of drinking water distribution systems and animal health in pig breeding. Based on a survey over 18 months, a treatment using essential oils proved to be efficient in increasing piglet health and zootechnical performance. Water pipe biofilms were monitored by laser scanning confocal microscopy, while zootechnical performance and health cost data were collected from professional organisations. In two representative monitored herds, it was observed that the drinking water distribution pipes, initially fouled by fungi, were replaced by a bacterial film while both veterinary costs and the total feed conversion ratio decreased. Essential oils may thus provide an efficient and sustainable alternative to the massive use of antibiotics for transforming an initial detrimental ecosystem to a positive biofilm.     

Applications of capillary electrophoresis to the determination of antibiotics in food and environmental samples

In this paper we review applications of capillary electrophoresis (CE) to the determination of antibiotic residues in food derived from animals and in environmental samples. Although many CE methods have been used to determine antibiotics in the pharmaceutical field (drug quality control or therapeutic monitoring in biological samples), food and environmental applications have been increasing in recent years. Due to the maximum residue limits established by the EU, in Directive 2377/90/EEC, for foodstuffs of animal origin and considering the low levels that can be found in environmental or waste waters or soils, different strategies to increase sensitivity have been developed, including off-line preconcentration, on-line stacking modes to use higher sample volumes, or in-line solid-phase extraction. Also, several detection techniques, such as fluorescence, laser-induced fluorescence, electrochemical detection, or mass spectrometry have been used; the last of these also enables unequivocal identification of the residues, required by Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. All these aspects will be discussed in this paper, in relation to the main groups of antibiotics used in veterinary and human medicine, for which applications in food and environmental samples have been developed by using CE as an efficient alternative to liquid chromatography.     

Quantitative analysis of penicillins in porcine tissues, milk and animal feed using derivatisation with piperidine and stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Penicillins are used universally in both human and veterinary medicine. The European Union (EU) has established maximum residue levels (MRLs) for most ß-lactam antibiotics in milk and animal tissues and included them in the National Residue Monitoring Programs. In this study, a novel method is described for the determination and confirmation of eight penicillins in porcine tissues, milk and animal feed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). To prevent degradation of penicillin residues during workup, a derivatisation procedure was developed, by which penicillins were converted to stable piperidine derivatives. Deuterated piperidine derivatives were synthesised for all relevant penicillins, enabling the use of isotope dilution for accurate quantification. Penicillin residues were derivatised in the crude extract with piperidine and isolated using solid-phase extraction. The penicillin piperidine derivatives were determined by LC–MS/MS. The method was validated at the current MRLs, which range from 25–300 µg kg^?1 in muscle and kidney to 4–30 µg kg^?1 in milk as well as at the target value of 100 µg kg^?1 chosen for animal feed, according to the EU requirements for a quantitative confirmatory method. Accuracy ranged from 94–113% (muscle), 83–111% (kidney) and 87–103% (milk) to 88–116% (animal feed). Intra-day precision (relative standard deviation (RSD)_r) ranged from 5–13% (muscle, n?=?18), 4–17% (kidney, n?=?7) and 5–18% (milk, n?=?7) to 11–32% (animal feed, n?=?18). Inter-day precision (RSD_RL, n?=?18) ranged from 6–23% (muscle) to 11–36% (animal feed). From the results, it was concluded that the method was fit for purpose at the target MRLs in animal tissue and target levels for animal feed.     

Antibiotic use in food animals: controlling the human health impact

Resistance to antimicrobial drugs has compromised control of many bacterial pathogens. For foodborne pathogens, the most likely source of resistance is use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals. To control the human health impact from use of antimicrobials in animals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced plans to assess the microbial safety of all antimicrobials intended for use in food-producing animals. This paper describes the history of antimicrobial use and regulation in animals, the public health concern, the current animal drug approval process in the United States, the international perspective, and FDA's proposed procedures to evaluate the human health impact of the antimicrobial effects associated with animal drugs intended for use in food-producing animals. The primary public health goal of the improved regulatory paradigm is to ensure that significant human antimicrobial therapies are not lost due to use of antimicrobials in food animals.     

Analysis of antibiotics in fish samples

The use of antibiotics in food-producing animals has generated considerable interest because the widespread administration of these drugs may lead to the development of resistant human pathogens. A large increase in the demand for seafood products has occurred in the last century. This has led to a concomitant increase in high-intensity aquaculture methods, characterized by high stock density and volume, and the heavy use of formulated feeds containing antibiotics, among other substances. Therefore, accurate and sensitive determination of antibiotic residues is now a necessity. In order to protect human health, the European Union and other regulatory authorities worldwide have established maximum residue limits (MRL) for antibiotic residues in animal products entering the human food chain. This paper reviews the most recent methods for analysis of antibiotic residues in fish.     

Development of a dual luciferase reporter screening assay for the detection of synthetic glucocorticoids in animal tissues

Synthetic glucocorticoids belong to the most frequently administered drugs in livestock production. These synthetic hormones are employed for therapeutic purposes against inflammatory reactions, disorders of the musculoskeletal system, bovine ketosis and many other diseases of farm animals. A widespread illegal use of synthetic glucocorticoids to improve feed intake and weight gain has also been observed. To enforce the residue limits imposed on glucocorticoid drugs and preclude their illicit administration as growth promoters, it is necessary to establish high throughput analytical methods that can be applied to the screening of animal tissues. Here, we developed a dual luciferase reporter assay that detects residues or contaminants with glucocorticoid activity. This screening assay is performed by transfection of human cell lines with two reporter constructs followed by the measurement of two distinct luminescence signals, one of which serves as internal control to correct for assay variabilities and unspecific matrix effects. The limit of detection (1.25 microg for dexamethasone in liver) depends on the biological potency of each synthetic glucocorticoid but, with all drugs tested, the maximal response reaches a 20 to 30 fold induction of luciferase activity. In combination with an appropriate sample clean-up method (recovery of 82%), this luciferase assay has been applied to the analysis of liver samples from calves treated with a single therapeutic injection of either dexamethasone or flumethasone. Thus, the dual luciferase reporter assay provides a new screening tool to detect unwanted glucocorticoid activities in animal tissues or other crude biological samples without knowledge of the precise chemical entity of the parent compounds or their metabolites.     

Determination of nitrofurans in animal feeds by liquid chromatography-UV photodiode array detection and liquid chromatography-ionspray tandem mass spectrometry

Within the EU, the use of nitrofurans is prohibited in food production animals. For this reason detection of these compounds in feedingstuffs, at whatever limit, constitutes an offence under EU legislation. This detection generally involves the use of analytical methods with limits of quantification lowers than 1 mg kg(-1). These procedures are unsuitable for the detection and confirmation of trace amounts of nitrofurans in feedingstuffs due to contamination. It is well known that very low concentrations of these compounds can be the source of residues of nitrofuran metabolites in meat and other edible products obtained from animals consuming the contaminated feed. The present multi-compound method was capable of measuring very low concentrations of nitrofurantoin (NFT), nitrofurazone (NFZ), furazolidone (FZD) and furaltadone (FTD) in animal feed using nifuroxazide (NXZ) as internal standard. Following ethyl acetate extraction at mild alkaline conditions and purification on NH2 column, the nitrofurans are determined using liquid chromatography with photodiode-array detection (LC-DAD). It was observed a CCalpha ranged from 50 to 100 microg kg(-1). The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) procedure was used to confirm the identity of the suspected presence of any of the nitrofuran compounds.     

高效液相色谱-大气压化学电离-串联质谱法同时测定动物源食品中复硝酚钠的3种组分

复硝酚钠(SNP)是一种生长调节剂,在我国动物源食品检测中被列为禁用药物。由于复硝酚钠痕量分析方法不成熟,至今尚无标准检测方法,因此建立复硝酚钠中3种组分(5-硝基愈创木酚钠、对硝基酚钠和邻硝基酚钠)同时检测的方法对我国动物源食品中复硝酚钠残留水平的控制、检测标准的制定和政府相应管理措施的实行采取具有一定的理论和现实意义并兼具创新性。研究建立了高效液相色谱-大气压化学电离-串联质谱(HPLC-APCI-MS/MS)对猪肉、鸡肉、鱼肉和肝脏中复硝酚钠3种组分残留量的检测方法。样品采用氢氧化钠溶液提取,用盐酸调节pH值为酸性后,加氯化钠使溶液饱和,再用乙腈溶液反萃两次后,合并上清液并加入饱和氯化钠溶液,再经正己烷液液萃取除脂后吸出中间乙腈层,浓缩并定容后,以甲醇-水溶液作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,采用CORTECT C₁₈色谱柱分离,大气压化学电离,在多反应监测(MRM)负离子模式下测定,外标法定量分析。5-硝基愈创木酚钠、对硝基酚钠和邻硝基酚钠分别在0.5~10、1.0~20和2.5~50 μg/L范围内线性良好,定量限分别为1.0、2.0和5.0 μg/kg,在定量限、2倍定量限和10倍定量限加标水平上的回收率分别为81.5%~98.4%、81.5%~102%和81.4%~95.1%,相对标准偏差分别为1.51%~5.98%、1.10%~8.85%和0.91%~8.61%(n=6),均符合要求,能够满足动物源食品中复硝酚钠残留量的检测要求。     

Certified reference materials—Hay Powder (CRM 129) and Rye Grass (CRM 281)—for the quality control of analysis of animal feed

Analyses of nutritive elements are routinely performed in grass or hay for animal feed in order to improve the state of health and growth of domestic animals. To control the quality of such determinations, the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) so far has produced two certified reference materials: Hay Powder (CRM 129) and Rye Grass (CRM 281). After a careful preparation procedure of the materials, a homogeneity study and a long-term stability study, the contents of the elements Ca, K, Mg, P, S, Zn, I, N and Kjeldahl-N were certified in CRM 129, whereas CRM 281 was certified for As, B, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se and Zn. This paper presents the certification exercise and especially concentrates on the elements I, B and Mo as examples of analytical work. Indicative values for Co, Cr, Fe, Cl and Na were also obtained.     

Determination of Fluoroquinolones in Animal Feed by Ion Pair High-performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

A sensitive and simple method is described for the determination of fluoroquinolones by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a C18 column and fluorescence detection. The mobile phase was acetonitrile and 0.025M phosphate acid with 0.0025M sodium 1-heptanesulfonate monohydrate in water with a gradient program. The chromatographic conditions were optimized for the determination of ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, and flumequine in animal feed. The samples were extracted by a hydrochloric acid and acetonitrile followed by dilution in 0.01M oxalic acid at pH 4.0 and purified by solid-phase extraction. The procedure was validated by fortifying feed at 200, 1000, and 2000?µg/kg. The limits of detection and quantification were from 28.5 to 74.7 and 31.7 to 94.6?µg/kg, respectively. The average recoveries for fluoroquinolones were from 89.7 to 100.3%. The method was validated and shown to be efficient and precise for quantification of fluoroquinolones in animal feed. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the method for routine use to monitor these substances in feed.     

Determination of processed animal proteins, including meat and bone meal, in animal feed

An intercomparison study was conducted to determine the presence of processed animal proteins (PAPs), including meat and bone meal (MBM) from various species, in animal feed. The performances of different methods, such as microscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunoassays, and a protocol based on iquid chromatography (LC), were compared. Laboratories were asked to analyze for PAPs from all terrestrial animals and fish (total PAPs); mammalian PAPs; ruminant PAPs; and porcine PAPs. They were free to use their method of choice. In addition, laboratories using microscopy were asked to determine the presence of PAPs from terrestrial animals, which is applicable only to microscopy. For total PAPs microscopy, LC and some immunoassays showed sufficient results at a concentration as low as 0.1% MBM in the feed. In contrast, PCR was not fit for purpose. In differentiating between MBM from terrestrial animals and fishmeal, microscopy detected 0.5% of terrestrial MBM in feed in the presence of 5% fishmeal, but was less successful when the concentration of MBM from terrestrial animals was 0.1%. The animal-specific determination of MBM from mammals or, more specifically from either ruminants or pigs, by PCR showed poor results, as indicated by a high number of false-positive and false-negative results. The only PCR method that scored quite well was applied by a member of the organizer team of the study. Immunoassays scored much better than PCR, showing sufficient sensitivity but some deficiency in terms of specificity. The results also demonstrated that the reliable determination of MBM from ruminants has not been resolved, especially for low concentrations of MBM (0.1%) in feed. Comparison of the results for mammalian MBM from all methods indicated that, for control purposes, the immunoassay method, especially when applied as dipsticks, could be used as a rapid screening method combined with microscopy to confirm the positive samples. However, implementation of such a system would require that the immunoassays were previously validated to demonstrate that this approach is fit for purpose. The determination of ruminant or porcine PAPs by immunoassays was more difficult, partly because the MBM in this study contained about 50% bovine and porcine material, thereby reducing the target concentration level to 0.05%.     

Validation study of a lateral-flow immunoassay for detection of ruminant by-product material in animal feeds and feed ingredients

An immunoassay with a lateral flow format has been developed for the detection of ruminant by-product material in animal feeds and feed ingredients. The test is designed for the analysis of animal feeds destined for feeding to ruminants to ensure that they do not contain ruminant by-products in violation of the ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1997. This feed ban was established as a firewall against exposure of ruminant livestock animals to the prion agents responsible for neurological diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie. The test is designed for field use, e.g., at a feed mill, and yields a qualitative (presence/absence) result in 15-20 min. The objective of the study was to validate the lateral-flow test for detection of ruminant by-product material in a variety of finished animal feeds and feed ingredients. Results indicate that the test is specific for ruminant material and can detect as little as 1% ruminant material in these commodities.     

Evidence of natural occurrence of the banned antibiotic chloramphenicol in herbs and grass

Chloramphenicol (CAP), a broad-spectrum antibiotic, was detected in several herb and grass samples from different geographic origins. Due to its suspected carcinogenicity and linkages with the development of aplastic anemia in humans, CAP is banned for use in food-producing animals in the European Union (EU) and many other countries. However, products of animal origin originating from Asian countries entering the European market are still found noncompliant (containing CAP) on a regular basis, even when there is no history of chloramphenicol use in these countries. A possible explanation for the continued detection of these residues is the natural occurrence of CAP in plant material which is used as animal feed, with the consequent transfer of the substance to the animal tissues. Approximately 110 samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometric detection. In 26 samples, the presence of CAP was confirmed using the criteria for banned substances defined by the EU. Among other plant materials, samples of the Artemisia family retrieved from Mongolia and from Utah, USA, and a therapeutic herb mixture obtained from local stores in the Netherlands proved to contain CAP at levels ranging from 0.1 to 450 μg/kg. These findings may have a major impact in relation to international trade and safety to the consumer. The results of this study demonstrate that noncompliant findings in animal-derived food products may in part be due to the natural occurrence of chloramphenicol in plant material. This has implications for the application of current EU, USA, and other legislation and the interpretation of analytical results with respect to the consideration of CAP as a xenobiotic veterinary drug residue and the regulatory actions taken upon its detection in food.     

Review: β-glucans as Effective Antibiotic Alternatives in Poultry

The occurrence of microbial challenges in commercial poultry farming causes significant economic losses. Antibiotics have been used to control diseases involving bacterial infection in poultry. As the incidence of antibiotic resistance turns out to be a serious problem, there is increased pressure on producers to reduce antibiotic use. With the reduced availability of antibiotics, poultry producers are looking for feed additives to stimulate the immune system of the chicken to resist microbial infection. Some β-glucans have been shown to improve gut health, to increase the flow of new immunocytes, increase macrophage function, stimulate phagocytosis, affect intestinal morphology, enhance goblet cell number and mucin-2 production, induce the increased expression of intestinal tight-junctions, and function as effective anti-inflammatory immunomodulators in poultry. As a result, β-glucans may provide a new tool for producers trying to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics in fowl diets. The specific activity of each β-glucan subtype still needs to be investigated. Upon knowledge, optimal β-glucan mixtures may be implemented in order to obtain optimal growth performance, exert anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity, and optimized intestinal morphology and histology responses in poultry. This review provides an extensive overview of the current use of β glucans as additives and putative use as antibiotic alternative in poultry.