Fast screening methods to detect antibiotic residues in food samples

Antibiotic residues in edible animal products are of great concern to regulatory agencies and consumers, so reliable screening methods for rapid, selective and sensitive detection of these residues are necessary to ensure food safety. In recent years, great efforts have been made to simplify the treatment of solid food samples and also to introduce high-throughput methods, so different screening methods have been developed. This review presents a general overview on the progress of the three most important screening approaches to detect antibiotic residues in food samples (i.e. immunoassays, microbiological tests and biosensors). Their main advantages are short analysis time, high sensitivity and selectivity for immunoassays, simplicity and low cost for microbiological tests, and automation and the possibility of in situ analysis for biosensors. Moreover, it is important to note a great increase in the number of commercial kits. Regarding the detection mode employed, the lowest limits of detection were achieved using microbiological inhibition tests and immunoassays with time-resolved fluorometry detection, so antibiotic residues at levels lower than the maximum residue limits established by legislation were detected. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.