Risk assessment of streptomycin and tetracycline residues in meat and milk on Croatian market

Abstract

In addition to biological hazards like bacteria, viruses, parasites, the occurrence of chemical hazards is another characteristic of modern food production. The use of veterinary medicines in intensive production of animals is conditio sine qua non so it is impossible to avoid in full the presence of their residues in food. This paper presents quantitative risk assessment of streptomycin and tetracycline based on acceptable daily intake, daily consumption of milk and meat in Croatia (0.222 and 0.126 kg/person, respectively) and residues of these two veterinary drugs in this type of food. The median value for streptomycin in milk and meat was 11.50 and 38.00 μg/kg, respectively (milk: average: 15.57 μg/kg; range from 0 to 73.82 μg/kg; meat: average 44.14 μg/kg; range from 0 to 278.35 μg/kg). The median value for tetracycline in milk and meat was 1.50 μg/kg (milk: average 1.5 μg/kg; range, from 0 to 4.26 μg/kg; meat: average 1.62 μg/kg; range from 0 to 5.35 μg/kg). Based on the median value it can be concluded that the estimated daily intake of streptomycin and tetracycline through milk and meat in Croatia is low (streptomycin: 7.33 μg/person/day; tetracycline: 0.52 μg/person/day), and the risk is assessed as negligible.