Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of the Blood: Tissue Relationship in Poultry: Screening for Antibiotic Residues in Chicken Muscle

During their life, humans are exposed to numerous substances that are naturally present in the environment or that are the result of man made processes, including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, pesticides and veterinary drugs. Some of these substances can leave residues in food products and possibly expose consumers to their potential toxic effects. To address these problems extensive regulatory efforts are devoted to prevent, detect and control these substances from reaching the food supply. However, given the vast diversity of food products that requires monitoring and the immense diversity of potential chemical contaminants, the need for an efficient and vigilant residue prevention program cannot be underestimated. Residue concentrations in animal food products are generally determined in samples collected from edible tissues (e.g. muscle, liver, skin, fat) which can lead to a loss of valuable product. Additionally, variations between different edible tissues and products require the development and use of specific analytical procedures. This dissertation presents different aspects related to the nature and origin of potential chemical residues in food products and the regulatory process used for their prevention and control. Finally, it discusses the possible use of body fluids, namely blood, as a predictive indicator of the concentrations of antibiotic residues in target tissues for monitoring purposes