A new technique developed by researchers at Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) promises to improve and simplify food safety control. According to the researchers, the technique works as simply as inserting a thermometer into a product, which is a significant improvement over current, more time-consuming methods.
Meat must comply with strict laws and regulations, especially regarding the presence of antibiotics. The use of antibiotics in animal husbandry can lead to residues in meat products, posing a risk to public health. When people consume antibiotics through meat, it can contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. Therefore, meat is tested for the presence of antibiotics to ensure that these levels remain within legal limits. New technology offers a quick and efficient solution to this problem.
The detection technology consists of a small metal strip, about five centimetres long, with a special coating. This so-called 'little sword' is inserted into the tissue of a bovine kidney, as researcher Josha Jager explains in the journal Resource. The sword then extracts renal fluid from the tissue. This fluid is placed directly into a prototype mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer is a sophisticated device that separates the molecules in the sample and compares them with known substances. Within one minute, the technology can determine whether and which antibiotics are present in the tissue.
The speed and simplicity of the technique are a significant step forward. Current methods for detecting antibiotics in meat are often complex and time-consuming, requiring multiple steps and taking some time to analyse samples. The new sword technology makes this process much simpler and faster, as it is inserted directly into the tissue and provides immediate results. In fact, the technology is so simple to use that it is similar to measuring temperature with a thermometer.
The new detection technology offers the ability to quickly check meat, which facilitates regulatory enforcement. With the new technology, meat processors and regulatory bodies can quickly determine whether a product meets regulatory requirements for antibiotics, which helps prevent unwanted residues in meat.
Although promising, the new technology is not yet ready for use. Further research is needed to further refine and validate the technique. One of the main challenges is accurately measuring the concentration of antibiotics in tissue. Determining the exact amount of each substance is essential for practical application of the technology, especially for enforcing legislation and determining the exact amounts of antibiotics that are allowed to be present in meat.
In addition, the researchers are investigating whether the technology can also be applied to other food products. One interesting possibility is to use the same technology to measure pesticides in fruit or other agricultural products. This would make the technology useful not only for meat, but also for the wider food industry.
The development of this new detection technology for antibiotics in meat is a major advance in the world of food safety. The technology offers significant benefits by making the monitoring of antibiotic residues faster and easier, which can help improve regulatory compliance and enhance food safety. Although the technology still needs further development, it offers great potential for meat processors and regulators alike, and could eventually be applied to other food products to increase overall food safety.
Source: https://evmi.nl/nieuws/nieuwe-detectietechnologie-voor-antibiotica-in-vlees
