Screening Of Oxytetracycline And Tetracycline Residues In Pork Marketed In Guwahati City And Its Adjoining Areas And Confirmation By Ultra-Fast Liquid Chromatography-UV/Vis

Abstract

The antimicrobial residues in the animal-based food products that exceeds the maximum residue limits (MRLs) beyond permissible daily consumption attracted considerable attention due to their public health significance. The present study aimed to detect Oxytetracycline and Tetracycline residues in pork marketed in and around Guwahati City (Kamrup Metropolitan) and its adjoining areas. The preliminary screening of 261 pork samples by microbial inhibition assay using endospores of Bacillus subtilis MTCC 441 as test organism revealed that none of the samples were positive for antimicrobial residues except 3 (three) which were doubtful to have traces of antimicrobial residues. A total of 80 pork samples including the doubtful samples were further screened by Ultra-Fast Liquid Chromatography system (Model: Shimadzu Prominence LC-20AD, Detector- SPD-20A-UV/Vis; RP C18 Column: BDS Premium, 250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 µm) to detect Oxytetracycline and Tetracycline residues. Oxytetracycline residues were detected in 2.5% of the samples, while none of the samples detected Tetracycline residue. The concentrations of the residues were 0.471 µg/g and 0.610 µg/g, respectively, which is well above the MRL value recommended by Codex Alimentarius. However, considering the detection of 2.5% Oxytetracycline residues and the absence of Tetracycline residue indicates that these antimicrobial compounds are not frequently misused in pig husbandry practices in these areas under study.