ARS | Publication request: DEVELOPMENT OF IMMUNOCHEMICAL METHODS FOR DRUG RESIDUE ANALYSIS IN MEATS AND POULTRY

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: April 16, 1998
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Globalization of the food industry, sparked in part by new international trade agreements, reinforces the need for improved monitoring of the food supply for undesirable residues. Traditional methods for measuring veterinary drug residues, pesticides, and toxic chemicals in foods usually require complex sample preparation schemes, sophisticated instrumentation, and highly trained personnel to perform and interpret the results. These features make such methods time consuming and costly, and they also limit their application. Clearly, less expensive, rapid test methods are needed to increase the speed of analysis and sample throughput. In addition to low cost and speed, such methods should be highly sensitive, accurate, field portable, and whenever possible use a minimum amount of organic solvent. Immunoassays have many of the characteristics listed above. They are cost effective, rapid, highly sensitive and specific assays. They have been applied mostly in clinical chemistry to measure pathogenic agents, biological molecules and drugs. However, because of the increased demands placed upon governments and industry for residue analyses, application of immunochemical methods is becoming more widespread.