Application of a luminescent bacterial biosensor for the detection of tetracyclines in routine analysis of poultry muscle samples

Mariel G Pikkemaat (1) , Michel L B A Rapallini (2) , Matti Karp (3) , J.W. Alexander Elferink (4)

1 RIKILT-Institute of food safety
2 Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority
3 Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering
4 RIKILT-Institute of Food Safety

Tetracyclines are extensively used in veterinary medicine. For detection of tetracycline residues in animal products, a broad array of methods is available. Luminescent bacterial biosensors represent an attractive inexpensive, simple and fast method for screening large numbers of samples. A previously developed cell-biosensor method was subjected to an evaluation study using over 300 routine poultry samples and results were compared with a microbial inhibition test. The cell-biosensor assay yielded many more suspect samples, 10.2% vs. 2% with the inhibition test, which all could be confirmed by LC-MS/MS. Only one sample contained a concentration above the Maximum Residue Limit of 100 µg kg-1, while residue levels in most of the suspect samples very low (< 10 µg kg-1). The method appeared to be specific and robust. Using an experimental set up comprising the analysis of a series of three sample dilutions allowed an appropriate cut-off for confirmatory analysis, limiting the number of samples requiring further analysis to a minimum.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Mariel G Pikkemaat, Michel L B A Rapallini, Matti Karp, J.W. Alexander Elferink. Application of a luminescent bacterial biosensor for the detection of tetracyclines in routine analysis of poultry muscle samples. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2010, 27 (08), pp.1112-1117. ⟨10.1080/19440041003794866⟩. ⟨hal-00604050⟩