Tetracyclines in Meat

• Tetracyclines

Tetracycline is a most basic compound among tetracycline antibiotics. Tetracycline and its salts are yellow or yellowish crystals, which are extremely stable in the dry state, and the aqueous solution of tetracycline is also quite stable. Tetracycline antibiotics are a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics with phenanthrene cores discovered in the 1940s. This class of antibiotics is widely used in infections caused by Gram bacteria, intracellular mycoplasma, chlamydia and rickettsia. In addition, in some countries, including the United States, tetracycline is also used as a growth promoter for feeding animals. At present, there are many researches on the detection methods of tetracycline antibiotics, including microbiological method, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, etc.

Figure 1. Ball stick model of tetracycline and the harm of tetracyclines in meat for human

• The Harm of Tetracyclines in Meat

The abuse of antibiotics by many farmers in the prevention and treatment of poultry diseases is very serious. Tetracycline and sulfonamides have become the "home-cooked" for poultry. Some farmers think that the greater the dose, the better the treatment effect. It is precisely the accumulation of tetracycline in the meat will eventually be eaten by human because of the abuse of antibiotics by farmers. When the human body consumes food containing tetracycline, it will cause tetracycline to accumulate in the body. After accumulating to a certain extent, the body will have symptoms caused by tetracycline, the most obvious is the tooth coloring. These damages are more pronounced in pregnant women, infants and children. Tetracycline can enter the fetus through the placental barrier and deposit in the calcium regions of the teeth and bones, causing discoloration of the fetal teeth and inhibiting fetal bone growth. For the elderly, the accumulation of tetracycline often causes renal dysfunction and liver poisoning. At the same time, tetracycline is also an important factor leading to fatty liver.

• The Regulation of Tetracyclines Residues in Meat

In the aquaculture industry, tetracycline is widely used because it can control a variety of diseases, promote animal growth, and improve feed returns. This brings about a large amount of tetracycline residues in animals, which is harmful to animal health and also causes hidden dangers to food safety. For this reason, tetracycline is used in limited quantities in various countries. The EU standards for tetracycline residues in meat are: eating liver ≤ 300 μg/kg, eating muscle ≤ 100 μg/kg, eating kidneys ≤ 600 μg/kg. The standards for tetracycline residues in meat in the United States are: animal muscle ≤ 200 μg/kg, animal liver ≤ 600 μg/kg, animal kidneys ≤ 1200 μg/kg.

• Other EU Requirements for Animal Derived Foods

The obligations of animal-derived food suppliers is to use drugs according to drug requirements. The duties of the official regulatory authorities: (1) Inspection of the production, storage, transportation, distribution and use of pharmaceuticals; (2) Inspection of feed production and distribution; (3) Inspection without prior notice; (4) In case of its suspected illegal use of medicine, the farm shall be inspected, with assistance provided by the farm and the veterinarian; (5) The feed, drinking water and animals in the breeding ground shall be sampled.

• Related Regulation

Commission Regulation (EU) No 37/2010 of 22 December 2009

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