Health Risk Assessment of Banned Veterinary Drugs and Quinolone Residues in Shrimp through Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The presence of antibiotic residues in seafood and their effect on public health constitute a matter of concern for consumers worldwide. Antibiotic residues can have adverse effects on both humans and animals, especially residues of banned veterinary drugs. In this study, we applied a validated method to analyze veterinary drug residues in shrimp, including the levels of banned chloramphenicol, malachite green, leucomalachite green, and four nitrofuran metabolites as well as thiamphenicol, florfenicol, and five quinolones, which have no recommended maximum residual levels in shrimp tissues in Taiwan. We collected 53 samples of whiteleg, grass, or giant river shrimp from Taiwanese aquafarms and production areas from July 2016 to December 2017. We found 0.31 ng/g of a chloramphenicol in one grass shrimp, 5.62 ng/g of enrofloxacin in one whiteleg shrimp, 1.52 ng/g of flumequine in one whiteleg shrimp, and 1.01 ng/g of flumequine in one giant river shrimp, indicating that 7.55% of the samples contained veterinary drug residues. We evaluated the health risk by deriving the estimated daily intake (EDI). The quinolone residue EDI was below 1.0% of the acceptable daily intake recommended by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization. The risk was thus discovered to be negligible, indicating no immediate health risk associated with shrimp consumption. The present findings can serve as a reference regarding food safety and in monitoring of the veterinary drug residues present in aquatic organisms. Continual monitoring of residues in shrimp is critical for further assessment of possible effects on human health.

Analytical Detection of Sulfonamides and Organophosphorus Insecticide Residues in Fish in Taiwan

“…Here, we adopted the analytical approach for sulfonamide residues suggested by the TFDA [16] and that for organophosphorus insecticide residues developed by the European Committee for Standardization, the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method [4,21]-both of which are suitable for detecting trace chemical residues. For the validation of its analytic method, the TFDA [2,22] recommends an acceptable recovery rate of 70-120% [relative standard deviation (RSD) < 15%], 70-120% (RSD < 20%), and 50-125% (RSD < 35%) for chemical residues in food matrices detected in the 0.1-1, 0.001-0.01, and <0.001 mg/kg ranges, respectively. In this study, residues of sulfonamides and organophosphorus insecticides that were identified within the 0.01-0.1 mg/kg ranges were noted to exhibit a recovery rate of 90-120% (RSD < 15%) and 80-120% (RSD < 15%), respectively.…”

“…Nevertheless, excessively applying these drugs could result in the cultured organisms retaining drug residues at harvest, potentially exposing consumers to substances toxic for human consumption [2]. We previously detected chloramphenicol in hard clam [6] and shrimp [2] and quinolones in shrimp [2] aquafarms in Taiwan. Moreover, these aquafarms use several insecticides to control ectoparasites and endoparasite growth [7] and several pesticides to limit the growth of aquatic weeds in bodies that include canals, fishponds, and lakes [6].…”

“…The aquaculture industry is of great economic importance and has been growing faster than other animal-farming industry worldwide [1]. Taiwan's environment and geographic location are highly appropriate for aquaculture advancement, with the country's aquaculture history spanning more than three centuries [2]. In Taiwan, more than 35 major and candidate aquatic species are commercially aquacultured [3].…”

“…Over 2010-2018, Taiwan's revenue derived from land aquaculture was up to US$1 billion on average [3]; in addition, during the 2010s, Taiwan's estimated annual land aquaculture production was 300,000 t [4]. Moreover, in Taiwan, major developments in aquaculture occurred over the 1960s to the 1990s [2], mainly because of the strong support of the government since the 1960s [5]. In particular, the government strongly supported the farming of fish, such as tilapia, milkfish, perch, eels, and groupers.…”

“…This thus necessitates applying prophylactic and therapeutic veterinary drugs, such as antibiotics [6]. Nevertheless, excessively applying these drugs could result in the cultured organisms retaining drug residues at harvest, potentially exposing consumers to substances toxic for human consumption [2]. We previously detected chloramphenicol in hard clam [6] and shrimp [2] and quinolones in shrimp [2] aquafarms in Taiwan.…”