Assessment of Tetracyclines Residues Contamination in Chicken Meat Samples of Algiers Slaughterhouses Level

Abstract

Food contamination with antimicrobial residues may occur, entailing assessment and monitoring of the contamination level in edible tissue. In that way, 151 chicken meat samples were randomly collected from Algiers slaughterhouses. Otherwise, two analytical methods are validated for the simultaneous determination of oxytetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline and chlortetracycline residues in edible chicken tissues, by liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry detection. Beforehand, an extraction step is performed. Indeed, acetonitrile is used as an extraction solvent for the qualitative method, and then the quantitative method is carried out after a preliminary extraction with an acidified EDTA-McIlvaine buffer, followed by a solid-phase extraction cleanup. Validation qualitative method results were satisfactory in terms of specificity (100%), sensivity, detection capability (CCß) and detection limit (LOD). Furthermore, validation results of the quantitative method was pertinent to the EU commission criteria. Thus, determination coefficient (r2) values were between de 0.91 to 0.98%, where the lowest values were observed for doxycycline. Trueness was between 85.5% and 104.8, expect for tetracycline (76.6% at 150µg/kg) and doxycycline (134.7% at 100µg/kg). As for intraday and interday precision, values respectively ranged between 12.5 and 26% and between 14 and 35%, except doxycycline for which precision values were higher. The methods have been successfully used for the identification, confirmation and quantification of tetracyclines in chicken muscle samples. Consequently, 25 samples were suspects in regard tetracyclines residues. The comparison of these samples with the QC at MRL (100µg/kg) revealed five samples needed a quantification. Thus, oxytetracycline, its epimer and doxycycline identified in samples were quantified. Indeed, all samples contained oxytetracycline and its epimer, doxycycline or both showed levels less than the decision limit (CCα).