Detection of antibiotic residues in pasteurized milk samples from Parana State, Brazil

Milk is an essential food on human's diet and for this reason must provide adequate sanitary conditions and lack of chemical and low level of microbial contamination. Antibiotics residues are considered as the main chemical contaminant of milk and represent potential risk to the consumer health. Thus, the aim was to detect antibiotics residues in 79 samples of type B pasteurized milk from different manufactures acquired in commercial establishments from Parana State, Brazil. The detection of streptomycin, chloramphenicol, beta-lactamic, tetracycline and gentamicin residues was performed using commercial immunoenzymatic kits. Antibiotic residues were detected in 15/79 (19%), which 6/15 (40%) were contaminated by chloramphenicol, 3/15 (20%) by tetracycline, 1/15 (6.7%) by gentamicin, 3/15 (20%) by streptomycin, and 2/15 (13.3%) by beta-lactams and three samples were contaminated by two types of residues simultaneously. Brazilian legislation regulates that residues of antibiotics and other inhibitors of microbial growth should be absent. Thus, further studies should be conducted for quantification of these residues targeting monitoring the exposure risk for consumers.