Residueposterapimondia2005.pdf

Effective Control Of Residues In Honey
Quality Services International GmbH, Institute for Honey Analysis Flughafendamm 9 a, D-28199 Bremen, Germany Introduction:Since a few years the European Commission is focusing on the Quality Control of imported foodstuffs especially of animal origin thus influencing also the honey trade. The main concerns for the industry are caused by an increasing number of legally required residue parameters especially Antibiotics based on EU Regulation 2377/90. This Regulation lays down a Community procedure for the establishment of MRLs of veterinary medicinal products in animal food including honey . Based on this Regulation no Antibiotic use is allowed in the EU for beekeeping thus every residue of any Antibiotic found in honey is illegal. As in many honey producing countries the use of some Antibiotics e.g. Tetracyclines , Sulfonamides are legally allowed or even traditionally recommended the imported honey must be strictly controlled respectively preselection in the country of origin before shipment is unavoidable. Caused by scandals e.g. the use of even in the EU illegal Antibiotics like Chloramphincol the consumers in the EU are extremely sensitive to that issue. Honey is regarded as a natural and pure product and is expected to be free of residues. Therefore the number of analyses carried out by the industry increased in the last years constantly. New methods for different veterinary drug residues have been developed and detection techniques have been improved in order to protect the consumer. QSI collected data of the last five-year period (1999-2004) for analyses on Annex I substances like Streptomycine (by HPLC mod. ac. Kocher), Tetracyclines (by HPLC and LC -MS/MS) and Sulfonamides (by HPLC) as well as data about Annex IV substances Chloramphenicol (by LC -MS/MS + ELISA) since 2002 and Nitrofuran-Metabolites since January 2004. Further parameters of Annex I have been recently incorporated e.g. Tylosin (by HPLC or LC-MS/MS) or others of the Macrolid-group, Lincosamides , Penicillins (LC -MS/MS) in routine quality control of honey.
Streptomycine, Tetracyclines and Sulfonamides: Streptomycine Analysis
These antibiotics once seemed to be recommended Sulfonamide Analysis - Sulfathiazole
solutions against the American Foulbrood (AFB) resp. its causer Paenibacillus larvae. Although it is proven that the treatment is only effective on living bacteria after the outbreak of the disease but not on spores and with constant preventive use the pathogens become more and Percentage
more resistant Antibiotics are world-wide still used Percentage
preventively or as ingredients of e.g. Vitamin preparations just in order to strengthen the bee colonies. The use of all Sulfonamides in honey production is forbidden according Subdivision (mg/kg)
to EU Regulation EEC 2377/90, Annex II. Only in Germany Subdivision (mg/kg)
the Pesticide Directive sets a MRL of Streptomycine at 0,02 mg/kg as it is permitted as ingredient of a special In 2001 for Streptomycine and Sulfathiazole (see Fig. 1+3) Tetracycline Analysis - Oxytetracycline
Sulfonamide Analysis - Sulfamethazine
an increased number of positive results compared to the former year was detected. Since 2002 the trend of not contaminated, negative samples increased.
Oxytetracycline detection increased in the years 2002 and 2003 and decreased since then (see Fig. 2).
Sulfamethacine-free samples showed a slight decrease in Percentage
Percentage
2003, but the trend goes to less contaminated samples For all tested substances an improvement by less contaminated samples can be shown in the statistics. There are several reasons for this – one is obviously the Subdivision (mg/kg)
Subdivision (mg/kg)
permanent quality control in the exporting countries as well as strict control of imported goods.
Chloramphenicol Analysis
Annex IV of Regulation (EEC) No 2377/90 lists substances Nitrofurane Analysis 2004
for which no MRL can be set for all animal food because they pose a risk to human health in whatever quantity. This list includes Nitrofuranes as well as CAP. Illegal CAP residues were detected first in Chinese shrimps which led to a complete ban (30.1.2002-31.8.2004) of all Chinese Percentage
Percentage
products from animal origin. Nitrofurane-metabolites are tested in honey since 2003. Especially in packed jars it could be shown that Semicarbazide (SEM) residues might be due to metal lids sealed with plastic gaskets. But AOZ and AMOZ residues are due to illegal use in animal Subdivision (µg/ppb)
production. Although most of the analysed samples are not Subdivision (µg/ppb)
contaminated (see Fig. 5+6) the use of forbidden substances by a few users leads to an economic loss and damages reputation of the entire branch of industry.
Conclusion:
The number of negative (n.d.) samples increased for most of the tested parameters during the last three years: Streptomycines , Oxytetracycline ,
Sulfathiazole and CAP. Only in case of Sulfamethazine the situation seems to have changed for the worse. For Nitrofurane-metabolites it is not
possible to compare with former data as well as for recently new incorporated analyses on more Antibiotics e.g. Dapson, Tylosin, Erythromycin
and other Macrolids, Lincosamides , Penicillines. As there are no statistically sufficient data available up to now – the future will show their
importance.
The overview on the latest five years shows the fact that only strict control leads to better quality.

Source: http://www.qsi-q3.de/publ/08_Poster-Apimondia-2005-Residue-control.pdf