The European Union Reference Laboratory Anses in Fougeres, France has recently validated 3 ELISA kits for the screening of colistin residues in porcine and poultry muscle. This validation is published in “Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A”. The 5151COL EuroProxima Colistin ELISA was the only test that comes with a statement of the detection capability (CCβ).

Oxolinic acid is a synthetic antimicrobial agent belonging to the first quinolone class of antibiotics. Quinolones are generally used in veterinary medicine for treatment of cattle, pigs, poultry, fish and shrimp. The specific use of Oxolinic acid is mostly reported in aquaculture. After antibiotic treatment, the level of residues in animal derived products should be low to limit human exposure to these drug residues. Therefore, maximum residue limits (MRLs) are set for quinolones in several regions of the world.

In Japan the consumption of the delicacy Fugu, or puffer fish, leads to 30-50 intoxications of humans per year, resulting in severe illness and sometimes death. The cause for this is tetrodotoxin (TTX), one of the most powerful neurotoxins known, many times more toxic than cyanide.

The antibiotic Florfenicol is brought on the market under various brand names and is used to control infections in cattle, pigs, poultry, and aquaculture. The compound is an effective broad-spectrum antibiotic and is considered as a less toxic alternative for chloramphenicol, which is banned world-wide because of its toxic effects.

Lactoferrin is a 77kDa glycoprotein and member of the transferrin family, a group of proteins capable of binding and transferring Fe3+ ions. Lactoferrin was first isolated from bovine milk and was demonstrated in human milk in 1960. Lactoferrin consists of a single chain polypeptide of about 700 amino acids.