Effect of antibiotics in goat milk on the manufacture and characteristics of cheese

Abstract

Antibiotic residues in milk are a great concern for public health, and they have negative implications for the dairy industry. To guarantee the safety of milk and derivates, Maximum Residues Limits (MRL) for different veterinary drugs in raw milk have been established. However, the transfer of these substances from milk to cheese, has been poorly studied and, therefore, the impact of the use of raw milk containing antibiotics on the cheese-making and the cheese safety is thus far unknown. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the transfer of the most widely used antibiotics used in dairy goats, from milk to matured and fresh cheese, as well as their effect on the cheese-making process and the quality characteristics of the cheeses during ripening. To this end, antibiotic-free milk was spiked individually with seven veterinary drugs (amoxicillin, benzylpenicillin, cloxacillin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline) and used to make mature Tronchon cheeses, which were analyzed at different ripening times (0, 30, and 60 days) to determine antibiotic residues, pH, chemical composition, proteolytic and lipolytic activities, color, and textural properties. The cheese-making process was unaffected by the presence of most antibiotics in milk. Only erythromycin and oxytetracycline significantly increased the time required for cheese production. Regarding cheese characteristics, the few differences found were related to the free fatty acid concentration, color and textural properties, which remained mostly undetected by the sensory analysis panelists. However, variable amounts of antibiotics, ranging from 7.4 to 68 %, were transferred from milk spiked with antibiotics, to cheese. Oxytetracycline and quinolones presented the highest retention rates as well as persistence along maturation, with high concentrations of quinolones (enrofloxacin: 148±12 µg/kg, ciprofloxacin: 253±24 µg/kg) and oxytetracycline residues (20±5.7 µg/kg) in cheeses after 60 days of ripening. In the study of fresh cheeses was evaluated the presence of drug residues in pasteurized fluid milk and fresh cheeses obtained from goat milk containing antibiotics (amoxicillin, benzylpenicillin, cloxacillin, neomycin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline) at safety levels (MRLs). The safety margin of these dairy products for consumers was also evaluated. Results showed that high amounts of antibiotics, between 71-100% of the initial concentration in raw milk, remained in pasteurized goat milk and were transferred to cheese to a high extent, with retention percentages ranging from 37.5 to 75%. Regarding the safety margin of goat milk products, calculated taking into account different age groups (children, teenagers and adults), and the published negative effects of such antibiotics on consumer health, results indicate that the minimum safety margin of pasteurized milk was obtained for ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and erythromycin in the group of children. Regarding fresh cheese, an elevated safety margin was obtained for all antibiotics and age groups considered. It is important to emphasize that relatively high concentrations of antibiotics could remain in pasteurized fluid goat milk and related products such as fresh cheese and cheeses of a short ripening period. The presence of these antibiotics in dairy products might contribute to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance, which is considered an important public health concern worldwide. The result of this research could serve the public health authorities to assess if current control systems of antibiotics in milk and dairy products are adequate or have to be revised.