When food producing animals are treated with antibiotics, hormones or other veterinary drug residues remain in the animal’s meat and milk. These residues may bear health risks for consumers. Food or feed contaminated with mycotoxins can have serious acute and chronic effects on the health of humans as well as animals.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are able to kill microorganisms or inhibit their growth. In human and veterinary medicine, antibiotics are therefore used as drugs for the treatment of bacterial diseases.
Hormones and anabolics
Residues of hormones and anabolic steroids in foods such as meat or milk provide a potential health risk to consumers. Hormones are endogenous biochemical messengers which are transported through the bloodstream to their target organs. Besides natural sex hormones, synthetic steroids and beta-agonists can be used in livestock breeding to improve the average weight gain and the meat/fat-ratio.
Other veterinary drugs
In addition to antibiotics and anabolics, animals are sometimes treated with further veterinary drugs which can also lead to residues in food. Those drugs include fungicides, anthelmintics, corticosteroids, tranquilizers and coccidiostats
Mycotoxins contaminants
Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by molds. They can have serious acute and chronic effects on the health of humans as well as animals. Mycotoxin analysis of food and feed is therefore necessary and often required by legislation. Modern test kits allow rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of mycotoxins.
Biostone Scientific offers an extensive portfolio of test kits and analytical services for fast, simple, and sensitive veterinary drug residues and other contaminants detection.
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