Residues of Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Sulfonamides in Beef, Eggs, and Honey from Grocery Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA: Failure of Cooking to Decrease Drug Concentrations

This study evaluated the concentrations of tetracycline, erythromycin, and sulfonamide in beef, eggs, and honey products sold at grocery stores and whether standard cooking to 160 °F (71 °C) reduced the concentrations of antimicrobials spiked into the evaluated food products. In June 2021, the conce...

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Main Authors: Shamim Sarkar, Stephen A. Kania, Mohamed A. Abouelkhair, Brian Whitlock, Chika C. Okafor
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Veterinary Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/11/12/660
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author Shamim Sarkar
Stephen A. Kania
Mohamed A. Abouelkhair
Brian Whitlock
Chika C. Okafor
author_facet Shamim Sarkar
Stephen A. Kania
Mohamed A. Abouelkhair
Brian Whitlock
Chika C. Okafor
author_sort Shamim Sarkar
collection DOAJ
description This study evaluated the concentrations of tetracycline, erythromycin, and sulfonamide in beef, eggs, and honey products sold at grocery stores and whether standard cooking to 160 °F (71 °C) reduced the concentrations of antimicrobials spiked into the evaluated food products. In June 2021, the concentrations of selected antimicrobials in 65 samples (8 beef, 48 eggs, 9 honey samples) purchased from grocery stores within Knoxville, Tennessee, were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to assess the differences in the median tetracycline concentrations across food types, while the Mann–Whitney test was used to compare the erythromycin residue concentrations between beef and honey. Linear regression was used to analyze whether standard cooking at 160 °F (71 °C) reduced antimicrobial concentrations. Detectable tetracycline concentrations were found in all beef (8/8, 100%), eggs (46/48, 96%), and honey (9/9, 100%) samples, with median concentrations of 7.73, 5.62, and 13.13 µg/kg, respectively. Honey had significantly higher tetracycline concentrations than eggs (<i>p</i> = 0.002). Detectable erythromycin concentrations were found in beef (5/8, 63%) and honey (9/9, 100%), with median concentrations of 0.14 µg/kg for beef and 0.48 µg/kg for honey. None of the antimicrobial concentrations found in the beef and egg products exceeded the U.S. FDA’s maximum residue limits (MRL). Sulfonamide concentrations were undetectable in the beef and egg products. The concentrations of tetracycline, erythromycin, and sulfonamide spiked into the food products did not change significantly in response to cooking to 160 °F (71 °C). The antimicrobial concentrations found in the selected commercial food products were below the MRL, and cooking appeared to not reduce the spiked antimicrobial concentrations in the evaluated food products.
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spelling doaj-art-8cc95d42d90a4c8f8cfcef246ea964ab2024-12-27T14:58:42ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812024-12-01111266010.3390/vetsci11120660Residues of Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Sulfonamides in Beef, Eggs, and Honey from Grocery Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA: Failure of Cooking to Decrease Drug ConcentrationsShamim Sarkar0Stephen A. Kania1Mohamed A. Abouelkhair2Brian Whitlock3Chika C. Okafor4Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USADepartment of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USADepartment of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USALarge Animal Clinical Sciences Department, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USADepartment of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, USAThis study evaluated the concentrations of tetracycline, erythromycin, and sulfonamide in beef, eggs, and honey products sold at grocery stores and whether standard cooking to 160 °F (71 °C) reduced the concentrations of antimicrobials spiked into the evaluated food products. In June 2021, the concentrations of selected antimicrobials in 65 samples (8 beef, 48 eggs, 9 honey samples) purchased from grocery stores within Knoxville, Tennessee, were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to assess the differences in the median tetracycline concentrations across food types, while the Mann–Whitney test was used to compare the erythromycin residue concentrations between beef and honey. Linear regression was used to analyze whether standard cooking at 160 °F (71 °C) reduced antimicrobial concentrations. Detectable tetracycline concentrations were found in all beef (8/8, 100%), eggs (46/48, 96%), and honey (9/9, 100%) samples, with median concentrations of 7.73, 5.62, and 13.13 µg/kg, respectively. Honey had significantly higher tetracycline concentrations than eggs (<i>p</i> = 0.002). Detectable erythromycin concentrations were found in beef (5/8, 63%) and honey (9/9, 100%), with median concentrations of 0.14 µg/kg for beef and 0.48 µg/kg for honey. None of the antimicrobial concentrations found in the beef and egg products exceeded the U.S. FDA’s maximum residue limits (MRL). Sulfonamide concentrations were undetectable in the beef and egg products. The concentrations of tetracycline, erythromycin, and sulfonamide spiked into the food products did not change significantly in response to cooking to 160 °F (71 °C). The antimicrobial concentrations found in the selected commercial food products were below the MRL, and cooking appeared to not reduce the spiked antimicrobial concentrations in the evaluated food products.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/11/12/660antibiotic residuesantimicrobial residuestetracyclineerythromycinsulfonamideantimicrobial resistance
spellingShingle Shamim Sarkar
Stephen A. Kania
Mohamed A. Abouelkhair
Brian Whitlock
Chika C. Okafor
Residues of Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Sulfonamides in Beef, Eggs, and Honey from Grocery Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA: Failure of Cooking to Decrease Drug Concentrations
Veterinary Sciences
antibiotic residues
antimicrobial residues
tetracycline
erythromycin
sulfonamide
antimicrobial resistance
title Residues of Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Sulfonamides in Beef, Eggs, and Honey from Grocery Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA: Failure of Cooking to Decrease Drug Concentrations
title_full Residues of Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Sulfonamides in Beef, Eggs, and Honey from Grocery Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA: Failure of Cooking to Decrease Drug Concentrations
title_fullStr Residues of Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Sulfonamides in Beef, Eggs, and Honey from Grocery Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA: Failure of Cooking to Decrease Drug Concentrations
title_full_unstemmed Residues of Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Sulfonamides in Beef, Eggs, and Honey from Grocery Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA: Failure of Cooking to Decrease Drug Concentrations
title_short Residues of Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Sulfonamides in Beef, Eggs, and Honey from Grocery Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA: Failure of Cooking to Decrease Drug Concentrations
title_sort residues of tetracycline erythromycin and sulfonamides in beef eggs and honey from grocery stores in knoxville tennessee usa failure of cooking to decrease drug concentrations
topic antibiotic residues
antimicrobial residues
tetracycline
erythromycin
sulfonamide
antimicrobial resistance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/11/12/660
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