Residue Evaluation of Veterinary Antibiotic by HPLC Method in Meat of Broiler and Indigenous Chicken of Rural Areas in Quetta, Pakistan

Abstract

Antibiotics are broadly used in the poultry industry globally. Many antimicrobial agents have been practiced for a long to protect the animal's health and enhance their productivity. These agents may often be added to the animal’s food as growth promoters. Food-producing animals are the main source of protein; unfortunately, edible meat has a high concentration of drug residues which may cause detrimental effects on consumer’s health. To investigate the presence of veterinary drugs in food items such as chicken meat, the present study was conducted with the main aim to evaluate the residual concentration of four universally used antibiotics in muscle and liver samples of broilers. The quantitative detection for antibiotics was performed by using the method of HPLC. The obtained results showed the misuse of drugs or lack of application of antibiotics in the recommended withdrawal period. Samples that contained residue levels of Amoxicillin, Oxytetracycline, Enrofloxacin, and Tylosin higher than maximum residues limits (MRLs) were 80% in broiler and 20% in indigenous, while some samples were below the permissible limits. This contamination in chicken meat needs to develop legislation about residue levels before marketing in Balochistan. As well as the regular inspection of poultry farms is necessary to inform the farmers about the hazardous effects of antibiotics on human health