Screening of meat sold for human consumption in Benue State, Nigeria for antibiotic residues

Abstract

The problem of veterinary drug residues in food of animal origin is of great importance in developing countries. The concerns are mostly related to food safety and the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. This study was carried out during the hot dry season (March) between 2016 – 2018 to detect antibiotic presence in beef, chevon and pork sold for human consumption in abattoirs in Benue state. Thirty-nine samples each of 100-150g of kidney, liver and muscle were collected from cattle, goats and pigs making a total of 351 samples from abattoirs across the three geopolitical zones of Benue state. The samples were screened for multidrug residues using the modified agar gel diffusion method. A total of 144 were positive out of which 40.3% (58/144) were beef, while 29.2% (42/144) and 30.5% (44/144) were chevon and pork respectively. From the results of this study, it could be inferred that the meat consumed within Benue State contains residues of antibiotics possibly because of non-adherence to the withdrawal period by farmers and lack of knowledge of its consequences on the consumers.