Electrochemical methods for the determination of antibiotic residues in milk: A critical review

Abstract

Several antibiotics have been applied to veterinary medicine due to their broad-spectrum of antibacterial activity and prophylactic power. Residues of these antibiotics can be accumulated in dairy cattle, in addition to promoting contamination of the environment and, in more serious cases, in milk, causing a public health problem. Different regulatory agencies establish maximum residue limits for these antibiotics in milk, so it becomes important to develop sensitive analytical methods for monitoring these compounds. Electrochemical techniques are important analytical tools in analytical chemistry because they present low cost, simplicity, high sensitivity, and adequate analytical frequency (sample throughput) for routine analyses. In this sense, this review summarizes the state of the art of the main electrochemical sensors and biosensors, instrumental techniques, and sample preparation used for the development of analytical methods, published in the last five years, for the monitoring of different classes of antibiotics: aminoglycosides, amphenicols, beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines, in milk samples. The different strategies to develop electrochemical sensors and biosensors are critically compared considering their analytical features. The mechanisms of electrochemical oxidation/reduction of the antibiotics are revised and discussed considering strategies to improve the selectivity of the method. In addition, current challenges and future prospects are discussed.

Keywords: Antibiotics; Biosensors; Electrochemical analysis; Milk; Sensors.