Organochlorine pesticide residues in poultry feed,chicken muscle and eggs at a poultry farm in Punjab,India

Animals intended for human food may absorb pesticides from residues in their feed, water or during direct/indirect exposure in the course of pest control. The objective of the present investigation was to monitor organochlorine pesticide residues in poultry feed, chicken muscle and eggs at a selected poultry farm. The samples were Soxhlet extracted for 8 h in 200 mL hexane–acetone (1:1, v/v) mixture. The clean‐up of the samples was performed by silica gel column chromatography and analysis was done on a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector. The mean total hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), endosulfan sulfate and heptachlor epoxide residues were 0.65, 0.91, 0.42 and 0.02 mg kg^?1, respectively, in feed while respective values for chicken muscle were 0.11, 0.24, 0.10 and 0.07 mg kg^?1. Higher residues were encountered in eggs as compared to muscle. None of the muscle samples exceeded maximum residue limits (MRL) for organochlorine pesticides, while all egg samples had values above the MRL for HCH and heptachlor epoxide and seven egg samples exceeded MRL for DDT residues. The results indicated that poultry feed could be one of the major sources of contamination for chicken and eggs. These residues are present despite complete ban on the use of technical HCH and DDT for agricultural purposes in India. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Aflatoxin M1 in raw milk and aflatoxin B1 in feed from household cows in Singida,Tanzania

Aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) contamination in raw milk from household cows fed with sunflower seedcakes or sunflower-based seedcake feeds was determined in 37 milk samples collected randomly from different locations in Singida region, Tanzania. Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) contamination in sunflower-based seedcake feed was determined in 20 feed samples collected from the same household dairy farmers. The samples were analysed by RP-HPLC using fluorescent detection after immunoaffinity column clean-up. Recoveries were 88.0% and 94.5%, while the limits of detection (LOD) were 0.026 ng mL^?1 and 0.364 ng g^?1 for AFM₁ and AFB₁, respectively. Of the analysed cow’s milk samples, 83.8% (31/37) contained AFM₁, with levels ranging from LOD to 2.007 ng mL^?1, exceeding both the European Commission (EC) and Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) limit of 0.05 ng mL^?1. Of the contaminated samples, 16.1% exceeded the Codex Alimentarius limit of 0.5 ng mL^?1. AFB₁ was present in 65% (13/20) of the feed samples with levels ranging from LOD to 20.47 ng g^?1, 61.53% exceeding the TFDA and EC maximum limits of 5 ng g^?1 for complete dairy animal feed. The observed AFM₁ and AFB₁ contamination necessitates the need to raise awareness to dairy farmers in Tanzania to safeguard the health of the end-users.     

Chloramphenicol residues found in milk processed in Northern Parana,Brazil

Antibiotic residues in products of animal origin are of great concern to regulatory agencies and consumers worldwide. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has promoted the development of bacterial resistance, which has become an international issue. The occurrence of chloramphenicol (CAP) was evaluated in 84 raw milk samples from the reception platform of a dairy industry at Northern Parana, Brazil and this rate of occurrence was used to estimate the extent of exposure of CAP to the consumer. In the present study CAP determination was carried out by ELISA and found in 28.6 % of the samples. Levels ranged from not detected to 3953.39 ng/L. Despite prohibition of CAP by Brazilian Legislation, residues of CAP were detected in milk. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of CAP was evaluated, and the average intake ranged from 0.092 ng/kg body weight (b.w.) for adolescents to 0.084 ng/kg b.w. for the elderly. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on estimated CAP dietary exposure from Parana, Brazil.     

Oxytetracycline residues in retail chicken eggs in Ibadan,Nigeria

Oxytetracycline residues in chicken eggs from five markets within Ibadan metropolis were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography following solid-phase extraction. Recovery of oxytetracycline was 80.5%–87.8%, whereas 75.2% of the samples contained detectable oxytetracycline with an overall mean residue concentration of 479.0?µg?kg^?1. Residue concentrations from Iwo Road, Apata, Challenge, Ojoo and Bodija markets were 421, 460, 468, 568 and 476?µg?kg^?1, respectively. Eggs from Ojoo market had the highest levels, whereas 68.8% of the samples contained residues above the Codex Alimentarius Commission maximum residue limit. The results are of public health interest as they indicate that a greater proportion of eggs being consumed in Ibadan could contain residues above the maximum residue limit, for which unregulated access and indiscriminate use of antibiotics by poultry farmers could be responsible. National surveillance of eggs and other animal products for antibiotic residue and appropriate regulation of antibiotic is recommended to ensure food safety for consumers.     

Survey of Salmonella contamination of raw shell eggs used in food service premises in the United Kingdom, 2005 through 2006

This survey was launched after an unusual number of Salmonella Enteritidis outbreaks associated with the use of eggs in food service premises in England and Wales. Between November 2005 and December 2006, 9,528 eggs (1,588 pooled samples of 6 eggs) were collected from 1,567 food service premises in the United Kingdom, most of which (89%) were produced in the United Kingdom. Salmonella was isolated from 6 (0.38%) pools of eggs. Of these, 5 (0.31%) were Salmonella Enteritidis, which were further characterized to phage types (PTs): PT 4 (0.19%), PT 8 (0.06%), and PT 12 (0.06%). Salmonella Mbandaka was also isolated (0.06%). Salmonella was detected from five and one of pooled eggs samples that were produced in the United Kingdom and Germany, respectively; these were from different producers. The study showed evidence of poor egg storage and handling practices in food service premises, in that 55% did not store eggs under refrigerated conditions; 20.7% of eggs had expired "best before" dates or were in use after 3 weeks of lay, indicating poor stock rotation; and 37.1% pooled eggs not intended for immediate service. Eggs are a commonly consumed food that may occasionally be contaminated with Salmonella at different rates, according to their country of origin. The food service sector needs to be aware of this continuing hazard, receive appropriate food safety and hygiene training on storage and usage of raw shell eggs, adopt appropriate control measures, and follow advice provided by national food agencies in order to reduce the risk of infection.     

Frequency and antimicrobial resistance of enteric bacteria with spoilage potential isolated from table eggs

The prevalence of potential spoilage microorganisms on the shells and in the egg contents of table eggs sold in Trinidad was determined. Table eggs samples were obtained from 23 poultry layer farms, 14 shopping malls and 102 supermarkets across the country. Each farm was visited twice approximately one month apart and 25 pooled eggs constituted a composite sample. Shopping malls were each visited twice usually one month apart while supermarkets were each visited once over a 4-month period. For both mall and supermarkets, six pooled eggs constituted a composite sample. Swabs of egg shells and pooled yolk and albumen (egg content) were tested for selected bacteria using standard methods. The resistance of bacteria to seven antimicrobial agents was detected using the disc diffusion method. Of a total of 184 composite eggs (shells, yolk/albumen or both) sampled, 71 (38.6%) samples were positive for enteric microbes, other than E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter spp. and Listeria spp. Enterobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp. were isolated from 15 (8.2%) and 14 (7.6%), respectively, of pooled egg shells alone and from 6 (3.3%) and 3 (1.6%), respectively, of egg content samples alone. Prevalence of enteric bacteria in egg contents was generally higher than found on egg shells with faeces/blood or cracks compared with those without, but the differences were not significant (P > 0.05; X²). The microbial load of egg content was not significantly affected by type of housing of laying birds, source of feeds, use of medicated feeds and temperatures at which eggs were kept at sale outlets. Of a total of 131 bacterial isolates tested, 125 (95.4%) exhibited resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents and resistance was high to streptomycin (90.1%), tetracycline (51.9%) and kanamycin (30.5%). Failure to properly handle or heat table eggs sold in Trinidad poses a potential health hazard to consumers because of their poor microbial quality and high frequency of resistance to antimicrobial agent.     

Occurrence of chloramphenicol in cereal straw in north-western Europe

Two surveys are presented of straw analysed for naturally occurring chloramphenicol (CAP), a drug banned for use in food-producing animals. In the first study, CAP was analysed by LC-MS/MS and detected in 37 out of 105 straw samples originating from the Netherlands, France, the UK, Germany and Denmark. The highest level found was 6.3 µg kg^?1, the average 0.6 µg kg^?1 and the median 0.2 µg kg^?1. The second study included a method comparison between ELISA and LC-MS/MS and a survey of CAP in cereal straw sampled at farms in all areas of Sweden. A total of 215 samples were screened by ELISA and a subset of 26 samples was also analysed by LC-MS/MS. Fifty-four of the samples contained more than 1 µg kg^?1 CAP and the highest level found was 32 µg kg^?1 (confirmed by LC-MS/MS). The highest contents of CAP in this study were allocated to the Baltic sea coast in the south-eastern part of Sweden (the county of Skåne and the Baltic Sea isle of Gotland). These results indicate a high incidence of CAP in straw in north-west Europe and have a severe impact on the enforcement of European Union legislation.     

The evaluation and adoption of annual legumes by smallholder maize farmers for soil fertility maintenance and food diversity in central Malawi

We studied the process of assessment and adoption of 10 grain- and green-manure legumes by smallholder maize farmers differing in resource endowment in Chisepo, central Malawi. The legumes had been promoted with the farmers from 1998 to 2004, primarily as a way to diversify food production and maintain the fertility of their soils. Farmers (n?=?136) were surveyed in 2004 at the end of the period of promotion to assess the degree of awareness and uptake of the legumes and the reasons for adoption. A follow-up survey was conducted in 2007 among a broader sample of Chisepo farmers (n?=?84) to measure the persistence of adoption. An Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used in 2004 to create scales of priority and as a tool to compare predicted with actual legume uptake. Actual adoption of food grain legumes reflected predictions by the AHP but it over-predicted uptake of the non-food legumes. The AHP helped us understand how farmer perceptions and needs influence adoption, as well as limitations with the legumes. Suitability for food was the most important criterion that farmers identified for adoption, followed by contribution to soil fertility and suppression of weeds. Over 75 % of the farmers surveyed in 2004 were aware of most of the legumes. Frequent use of the grain legumes was reported in 2004 (79 % for CG7 groundnut, 77 % for soyabean and 47 % for pigeonpea) by both the better-resourced (wealthier) and less-well-resourced (poorer) farm households. Awareness rose to over 90 % of farmers surveyed in 2007 but adoption fell somewhat to 67 % for soyabean, 57 % for CG7 groundnut and 43 % with pigeonpea among the wealthier farmers, while Bambara groundnut rose to 38 %. Fifty-two percent of poorer farmers reported adoption of CG7, 46 % soyabean, 35 % Bambara groundnut and 27 % pigeonpea in 2007. There was greater uptake by the wealthier farmers than those with fewer resources. Overall, although the legumes were promoted for maintenance of soil fertility, farmers were largely interested in and mainly adopted those legumes they considered most useful for food diversity and security, and with potential for market sale. Only a few wealthier farmers used mucuna and tephrosia among the green manure legumes. Improving the food value of vigorous and productive multi-purpose legumes, particularly mucuna, may help raise the farmers’ interest, with secondary benefits for soil fertility.     

Determination of Chloramphenicol in Honey, Shrimp, and Poultry Meat with Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: Validation of the Method According to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC

Chloramphenicol (CAP) is an antibiotic used for the treatment of bacterial infections in human and veterinary medicine. The use of CAP was prohibited in the European Union in 1994. Control laboratories are required to use suitably validated analytical methods to check sample compliance with the regulation. A quantitative method based on liquid chromatography coupled to isotopic dilution tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of chloramphenicol in honey, shrimp, and poultry meat. The experimental protocol consisted of a liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Separation and detection were realized, respectively, by a 2690 Waters HPLC (Milford, MA, USA) and a Micromass Triple Quadrupole mass spectrometer (Micromass, Manchester, UK), equipped with an electrospray source. The effects of mobile-phase additives on the response of LC/ESI/MS were examined. Two different HPLC columns were tested: the X-Terra from Waters and the Alltima HP C18 HL from Alltech (Deerfield, IL, USA). A validation of the method was conducted according to the EU criteria for the analysis of chloramphenicol in foods. The decision limits (CCα) were 0.04, 0.03, 0.07 μg?kg^?1, and the detection capabilities (CCβ) were 0.05, 0.04, 0.08 μg?kg^?1 for honey, shrimp, and poultry meat, respectively. Those values are below the minimum required performance limit set at 0.3 μg?kg^?1 by the EU and 0.1 μg?kg^?1 by Belgium. Our protocol has the advantage to propose a unique extraction method working as well for honey, shrimp, and poultry meat, contrary to similar published methods in which a different extraction method is used for each type of matrix.     

Dietary intake of dioxins,furans and dioxin-like PCBs in Austria

Human exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs) should be assessed regularly. In order to evaluate the contamination levels in various food products on the Austrian market and to assess the dietary exposure of the Austrian population for the first time, a national monitoring programme was conducted from 2005 to 2011. The 235 food products comprised meat, poultry, game and offal, fish and fish products, milk and dairy products, eggs, animal fats and vegetable oils. To estimate the dietary intakes of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, mean concentrations in food were combined with the respective food consumption data from the Austrian food consumption survey. Estimated dietary intakes were expressed as toxic equivalents (WHO-TEQs 1998). The mean intakes for PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs were estimated as 0.77, 0.75 and 0.61 pg WHO-TEQ kg^?1 bw day^?1 for children, women and men, respectively. The main contributors to total intake were milk and dairy products followed by fish and fish products for children and women, and meat, poultry, game and offal for men (65% and 15% for children, 67% and 14% for women, and 63% and 19% for men, respectively). Comparison of the estimated dietary intakes with the toxicological reference values shows that both children and adults are well below those values.     

Determination of glyphosate,AMPA, and glufosinate in honey by online solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A simple method was developed for the simultaneous determination of glyphosate, its main degradation product (aminomethylphosphonic acid), and glufosinate in honey. Aqueous honey solutions were derivatised offline prior to direct analysis of the target analytes using online solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Using the developed procedure, accuracies ranging from 95.2% to 105.3% were observed for all analytes at fortification levels of 5, 50, and 150 μg kg^?1 with intra-day precisions ranging from 1.6% to 7.2%. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 1 μg kg^?1 for each analyte. Two hundred honey samples were analysed for the three analytes with AMPA and glyphosate being most frequently detected (99.0% and 98.5% of samples tested, respectively). The concentrations of glyphosate were found to range from <1 to 49.8 μg kg^?1 while those of its degradation product ranged from <1 to 50.1 μg kg^?1. The ratio of glyphosate to AMPA was found to vary significantly amongst the samples where both analytes were present above the LOQ. Glufosinate was detected in 125 of 200 samples up to a maximum concentration of 33.0 μg kg^?1.     

Unravelling a vicious circle: animal feed marketed in Costa Rica contains irregular concentrations of tetracyclines and abundant oxytetracycline-resistant Gram-positive bacteria

Diverse tetracyclines are used to prevent and control bacterial infections in livestock and farmed fish. These drugs are administered through the diet, but farmers seldom check whether feed contains antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may colonise their crops or transfer their resistance traits to species of veterinary relevance. To examine whether antibiotic dosage defines the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in animal feed, we determined the concentration of parental compounds and epimers of oxytetracycline (OTC), doxycycline, tetracycline and chlortetracycline, as well as the abundance and resistance level of OTC-resistant bacteria in samples of fish (n = 21), poultry (n = 21), swine (n = 21), and shrimp feed (n = 21) marketed in Costa Rica. Fish feed contained the highest amounts of tetracyclines (119–8365 mg kg^?1) and the largest proportion of bacteria resistant to 10 μg ml^?1 (1.8–92.4%) or 100 μg ml^?1 of OTC (12.5–63.8%). Poultry (78–438 mg kg^?1) and swine (41–1076 mg kg^?1) feed had intermediate concentrations of tetracyclines and OTC-resistant bacteria (0.2–66% and 0.3–49%, respectively), whereas shrimp feed showed the lowest amounts of tetracyclines (21.5–50.3 mg kg^?1), no OTC and no culturable OTC-resistant bacteria. In line with these results, the MIC₅₀ of OTC for 150 isolates from fish and poultry feed was > 256 µg ml^?1, while that of 150 bacteria isolated from swine feed was 192 µg ml^?1. Phenotypic tests, fatty acid profiles and proteotypic analyses by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight mass-spectroscopy revealed that most OTC-resistant isolates were Gram-positive bacteria of low G+C% content from the genera Staphylococcus and Bacillus. Clear correlations between OTC dosage and feed colonisation with OTC-resistant bacteria were seen in medicated feed for fish (r = 0.179–0.651). Nonetheless, some unmedicated feed for fish, swine and poultry contained large populations of OTC-resistant bacteria, suggesting that raw materials and manufacturing processes may also influence carriage of OTC-resistant bacteria in animal feed.     

Detecting Fertility and Early Embryo Development of Chicken Eggs Using Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging

Early detection of infertile and non-hatchable eggs would benefit hatcheries and poultry breeding farms by saving space, handling costs, and preventing contamination from exploder eggs. Therefore, it would be advantageous to the hatchery industry of developing a non-destructive, rapid, and accurate method to detect the fertility and embryo development of eggs. For this purpose, a near-infrared hyperspectral imaging system was developed to detect fertility and early embryo development. A total of 174 white-shell chicken eggs including 156 fertile eggs and 18 infertile eggs were used in this study and all eggs were incubated in a commercial incubator for 4 days. Hyperspectral images were captured for all eggs on each day of incubation. After imaging on each day, developing embryos in randomly selected eggs were stopped by injecting sodium azide (NaN₃). All the eggs were divided into two classes, fertile eggs and non-fertile eggs (including infertile eggs and dead embryos), and the data set of each class varied with day of incubation. The region of interest (ROI) of each hyperspectral image was segmented and the image texture information was extracted from the ROI of spectral images using Gabor filters. Two types of spectral transmission characteristics termed MS and MG, were obtained by averaging the spectral information of ROI and Gabor-filtered ROI, respectively. The dimensionality of the spectral transmission characteristics were reduced by PCA. The first three PCs were used for K-means clustering, as well as the first three bands with maximum responses of each spectral transmission characteristic. The best classification results were 100 % at day 0, 78.8 % at day 1, 74.1 % at day 2, 81.8 % at day 3, and 84.1 % at day 4. A perfect detection of fertility prior to incubation was obtained using only the first three bands of maximum responses of MS. The classification results suggested the usefulness of the image texture information for detection of early embryo development. Promising results were also obtained when only the first three bands with maximum response of spectral transmission characteristics were used, which indicated the potential in applying hyperspectral imaging techniques to develop a real-time system for detecting fertility and early embryo development of chicken eggs.     

Development and Validation of Electromigration Technique for the Determination of Lincomycin and Clindamycin Residues in Poultry Tissues

An analytical method to quantify lincosamide residues (lincomycin and clindamycin) in poultry tissue samples by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography combined with UV detection has been developed and validated. The clean-up procedure with a simple deproteinization and solid-phase extraction was successfully applied for the determination of antibiotics in different edible tissue samples of poultry. The electrophoretic separation was achieved using an uncoated fused silica capillary (57 cm?×?75 μm i.d.), voltage 16 kV, temperature 22 °C, and the optimal wavelength at 200 nm. The running buffer consisting of 10 mM sodium tetraborate decahydrate (pH 9.3) and 25 mM sodium dodecylsulfate was employed. The validation of the method was performed by evaluation of the analytical parameters: linearity, specificity, precision, and accuracy with limits of detection of 13.2 and 18.5 ng/g, for clindamycin and lincomycin, respectively. Good intermediate precision was obtained with relative standard deviation values less than 12 %. The mean recoveries were 91.2 and 87.7 % for lincomycin and clindamycin, respectively. The obtained results confirm that the proposed method is capable to identify and quantify of lincosamide residues in animal tissues far below maximum residue limit values and could be suitable for routine application in commercial of poultry samples.     

Salmonella and raw shell eggs: results of a cross-sectional study of contamination rates and egg safety practices in the United Kingdom catering sector in 2003

This study was prompted by epidemiological investigations of the unusual number of Salmonella Enteritidis outbreaks associated with the use of eggs in catering premises in England and Wales during 2002. The aims of the study, performed between April and May 2003, were to establish the rate of Salmonella contamination in raw shell eggs from catering premises, investigate any correlation between the origin and type of eggs and the presence of particular serotypes or phage types (PTs) of Salmonella, and examine the use of raw shell eggs in catering premises in the United Kingdom. A total of 34,116 eggs (5,686 pooled samples of six eggs) were collected from 2,104 catering premises, most of which were eggs produced in the United Kingdom (88%). Salmonella was isolated from 17 pools (0.3%) of eggs. Of these, 15 were Salmonella Enteritidis, which were further characterized to PTs as follows: PT6 (0.1%), PT4 (0.07%), PT12 (0.04%), PT1 (0.04%), and PT14b (0.02%). Salmonella Livingstone and Salmonella Typhimurium definitive type 7 resistant to ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfonamides, and tetracycline were also isolated. The Salmonella contamination rate of eggs produced in the United Kingdom appears to have decreased significantly since 1995 and 1996. This trend is reflected in the decrease of Salmonella Enteritidis and, in particular, Salmonella Enteritidis PT4. The impact of the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency's advice on the use of eggs, issued in January 2003, is discussed.     

Occurrence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in various food items of animal origin collected in four European countries

This study summarises the results of the levels of 21 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in 50 selected pooled samples representing 15 food commodities with the special focus on those of animal origin, as meat, seafood, fish, milk, dairy products and hen eggs, which are commonly consumed in various European markets, e.g. Czech, Italian, Belgian and Norwegian. A new, rapid sample preparation approach based on the QuEChERS extraction procedure was applied. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) employing electrospray ionisation (ESI) in negative mode was used for the quantification of target analytes. Method quantification limits (MQLs) were in the range of 1–10 ng kg^?1 (ng l^?1) for fish, meat, hen eggs, cheese and milk, and in the range of 2.5–125 ng kg^?1 for butter. Only 16 of the group of 21 PFASs were found in at least one analysed sample. From 16 PFASs, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the most frequently detected analyte present in approximately 50% of samples (in the range of 0.98–2600 ng kg^?1). PFCAs with C8–C14 carbon chain were presented in approximately 20% of samples. The concentration ranges of individual compounds in the respective groups of PFASs were: 2.33–76.3 ng kg^?1 for PFSAs (without PFOS), 4.99–961 ng kg^?1 for PFCAs, 10.6–95.4 ng kg^?1 for PFPAs, and 1.61–519 ng kg^?1 for FOSA. The contamination level in the analysed food commodities decreased in the following order: seafood > pig/bovine liver >> freshwater/marine fish > hen egg > meat >> butter. When comparing the total contamination and profiles of PFASs in food commodities that originated from various sampling countries, differences were identified, and the contents decreased as follows: Belgium >> Norway, Italy > Czech Republic.     

Simultaneous determination of chloramphenicol,florfenicol and florfenicol amine in ham sausage with a hybrid chemiluminescent immunoassay

A novel chemiluminescent immunoassay utilising two types of primary antibodies (murine monoclonal antibody and rabbit polyclonal antibody) and two types of horseradish peroxidase–labelled secondary antibodies was established for simultaneously detecting multiple amphenicol residues in ham sausage. After combining the extract procedure of the target amphenicol into one simplified method, this hybrid chemiluminescent immunoassay could screen chloramphenicol (CAP), florfenicol (FF) and its metabolite florfenicol amine (FFA) at the same time by adding the corresponding secondary antibody. Ham sausage samples were analysed by using this hybrid immunoassay, with LODs of CAP being 0.01 μg kg^?1, of FF being 2.8 μg kg^?1 and of FFA being 3.0 μg kg^?1. The applicability of the proposed method has been validated by determining CAP, FF and FFA in ham sausage samples with satisfactory results. Good recoveries and high correlation with traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and LC-MS/MS results illustrated that the developed hybrid chemiluminescent immunoassay could screen high-throughput ultra-trace amphenicol residues effectively at one time.     

Analysis and monitoring of chloramphenicol residues in food of animal origin in Slovenia from 1991 to 2000

To prevent the illegal use of chloramphenicol (CAP), regulatory control of its residues in food of animal origin is essential. In Slovenia, the monitoring of CAP residues for statutory purpose started in 1991. The results of a 10-year period are presented. CAP residues were determined by capillary gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection (ECD) using meta-CAP as an internal standard (ISTD). Before chromatographic determination, analytes were derivatized by silylation. Overall, CAP recovery, adjusted for ISTD, was for bovine muscle tissue and raw cow's milk (in the region of 2-10 μg kg^-1) 89 and 102%, respectively, and for whole eggs, 87% (in the region of 1-10 μg kg^-1). The use of meta-CAP improved significantly the precision of the method. The detection limit for CAP was 1 μg kg^-1, which was sufficiently sensitive for routine use. A total of 1308 random samples of Slovenian origin were analysed from 1991 to 2000, covering all parts of the country. CAP was found only in one milk sample in 1997 at a concentration of 4.6 μg kg^-1.     

Escherichia coli from cellulitis lesions in broilers

Samples of chicken broiler lesions were collected at a poultry slaughterhouse in the Bahia Reconcavo region to recover Escherichia coli for phenotypic and genotypic characterization. Poultries used in current research came from four poultry houses in the same region. Weight of cellulitis lesions ranged between 0.9 and 1.7 g, of which 85 % (34/40) were on the left side of the broiler. E. coli was isolated in 82.5 % (33/40) of samples with cellulitis lesions. Gene iss was identified in 87.9 % (29/33) of the samples. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) verified iss genes to serum resistance, identifying avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC). Iss was detected in 87.9 % of isolates. Results suggest that the partial removal of cellulitis lesions merely decrease the carcass’s repugnant aspect, or rather, it is more aesthetic than hygienic. A re-evaluation of the criteria used is required to notify avian cellulitis cases so that safety in the consumption of broiler-derived products may be guaranteed.     

Sustainable smallholder poultry interventions to promote food security and social,agricultural, and ecological resilience in the Luangwa Valley,Zambia

In Zambia’s Luangwa Valley, highly variable rainfall and lack of education, agricultural inputs, and market access constrain agricultural productivity, trapping smallholder farmers in chronic poverty and food insecurity. Human and animal disease (e.g. HIV and Newcastle Disease, respectively), further threaten the resilience of poor families. To cope with various shocks and stressors, many farmers employ short-term coping strategies that threaten ecosystem resilience. Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) utilizes an agribusiness model to alleviate poverty and food insecurity through conservation farming, market development and value-added food production. COMACO promotes household, agricultural and ecological resilience along two strategic lines: improving recovery from shocks (mitigation) and reducing the risk of shock occurrence. Here we focus on two of COMACO’s poultry interventions and present data showing that addressing health and management constraints within the existing village poultry system resulted in significantly improved productivity and profitability. However, once reliable productivity was achieved, farmers preferred to sell chickens rather than eat either the birds or their eggs. Sales of live birds were largely outside the community to avoid price suppression; in contrast, the sale of eggs from community-operated, semi-intensive egg production facilities was invariably within the communities. These facilities resulted in significant increases in both producer income and community consumption of eggs. This intervention therefore has the potential to improve not only producers’ economic resilience, but also resilience tied to the food security and physical health of the entire community.