Creative Chemical Solutions in the Field of Veterinary Drug Residues Analysis
Dr. Joe O. Boison,
Senior Research Scientist, Centre for Veterinary Drug Residues (CVDR),
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), 116 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2R3
Abstract:
Antibiotics are used at sub-therapeutic levels frequently in modern agricultural practice on a
herd basis as additives to feed and water to promote weight gain, improve feed conversion
efficiency and to prevent disease. At therapeutic dosage levels, they are used to treat individual
animals for specific disease conditions. Antibiotics used in food producing animals must be safe
and effective in the animals, and the edible products derived from these treated food animals
must be safe for human consumption. However, such usages may lead to problems with
residues in the food-producing animal and to environmental contamination. The inspection of
agricultural products including food-producing animals for unacceptable levels of residues is
one of the most important duties of a public health agency or regulatory authority. To support
this inspection, a combination of in-plant (slaughter house) and laboratory tests for antibiotics
are employed. It is from this testing perspective that this presentation will focus. The
presentation will use examples from our Saskatoon laboratory to demonstrate how chemistry
has been used to provide creative global solutions to some otherwise very difficult challenges in
the analysis of trace levels (ng/g or part per billion) of antibiotic drug residues in milk, muscle,
kidney, liver and fat from traditional and non-traditional livestock to support regulatory
decisions and protect consumer health and safety.