Beta-Lactam Antibiotic Stability in Chicken Meat.

Area of Science:

• Food safety and analytical chemistry.
• Veterinary drug residue analysis.

Background:

• β-lactam antibiotic residues in animal products are critical for food safety and risk assessment.
• Storage conditions and cooking can significantly impact measured antibiotic concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the stability of six β-lactam antibiotics and clavulanic acid in chicken meat.
• To assess the effects of storage temperatures and thermal processing on these compounds.

Main Methods:

• Chicken meat samples with incurred residues were stored at +4°C, -20°C, and -86°C.
• Stability was tested during storage, freeze-thaw cycles, and heating (100°C for 30 min).
• Quantification was performed using HPLC-MS/MS after extraction and clean-up.

Main Results:

• Compounds were unstable at +4°C; -20°C was insufficient for long-term preservation.
• -86°C storage improved stability, with cefazolin being most stable and cefotaxime least.
• Heating significantly reduced parent compound concentrations (63.8% for cefazolin to undetectable for cefotaxime).

Conclusions:

• For reliable residue analysis, store chicken meat samples at -86°C for long-term preservation.
• Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles; cooking reduces but doesn't eliminate antibiotic residues.
• Degradation products were not assessed, so cooking is not a reliable safety measure.