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FOOD SAFETY ANALYSES

FLUOROQUINOLONES

 

Protecting our Food Supply and your Brand Name

ADPEN provides analysis results at a faster rate for Fluoroquinolones

Rush Service( 3-4 Workdays )*

Normal Service ( 5-7 Workdays).* 

 

Testing for Quality Control and Customs Clearance

Quality Control Programs

Analyses of Fluoroquinolones  by LC/MS/MS

Quantitation and Detection Levels as Required by FDA and State Agencies

 

Fluoroquinolones are a subgroup of the quinolone antibiotics that were discovered within the last decades.  These are employed against almost all bacterial infections, particularly against urinary tract infections and acute respiratory diseases.  Both for human and veterinary medicine, fluoroquinolones play a decisive role.  Fluoroquinolones are the first man made antibiotics and have a wide range of effects.  Among the ones currently being used are, Ciprofloxacin, Enrofloxacin, Sarafloxacin, Difloxacin, Danofloxacin, Enoxacin, Fleroxacin, Norfloxacin, Ofloxacin, Sparfloxacin, Flumequin, Marbofloxacin, and Oxolinic acid.  Ciprofloxacin has been used as a broad spectrum antibiotic since 1980 and there are only a few resistances known in Europe.  Its employment is quite restricted to maintain its maximum potency.  Enrofloxacin is employed as an anti-inflammatory drug in veterinary medicine.  Residues of fluoroquinolones have been found in seafood from China, Vietnam and other Asian countries.  Application of fluoroquinolones in apiculture as a prophylaxis of bee diseases is highly conceivable and residues in honey samples have already been found.

Recently, excessive residues of ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin in frozen filets of fish from Asia and China have been found and were reported by various Agencies in the US (FDA, Alabama Department of Agriculture and other States) and in Europe by the Rapid Alert System of the European Union.   In  the first quarter of 2006, honey samples from various locations have been found to also contain fluoroquinolones, these were reported by the European Union and by our laboratory.  ADPEN employs state-of-the-art LC/MS/MS instrumentation to achieve the levels required by FDA and other State Agencies.

 

There is no tolerance for fluoroquinolones in food, therefore there should be no residues present.  Fluoroquinolones should not be detectable in foods.  Their use and the subsequent absorption by human beings can lead to resistance against antibiotics and health complications.

ADPEN is a world leader in safety evaluation of foods, functional foods, nutritional products, nutraceuticals, herbals and raw materials.   Analyses for fluoroquinolones are conducted directly by LC/MS/MS both a screening and confirmatory tool.   Although LC/MS/MS is used to avoid duplication of testing when confirmation is needed and to save time by conducting only determining and confirmatory analysis, it is the only recognized confirmation means of testing at the low levels required.  The method utilized have been developed by ADPEN Laboratories, Inc.  ADPEN tests for  four fluoroquinolones and is improving its method to include other fluoroquinolones. 

For imported detained foods, and independent sample collector should be used to collect 12 representative (reps) samples from each lot.  These samples are properly labeled, sealed and an official sample collection form is used to document the collection. Honey samples are sent to ADPEN for testing at room temperature, all other samples are maintained frozen and sent to ADPEN for testing by overnight carrier with dry ice.  ADPEN upon receipt will treat the samples according to state and/or Federal requirements for testing.  Testing of the samples will be done using LC/MS/MS for the four fluoroquinolones.  ADPEN can arrange for collection of the samples at any port of entry. Reporting will be done to the FDA with a copy for the client which includes a Certificate of Analysis.

For imported testing of foods as required by Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, a composite of 12 filets from one box of each lot should be obtained.  (sampling requirements may be different in some cases for various states).  These samples are properly labeled, sealed and a sample collection form is used to document the collection. The samples are maintained frozen, or kept at room temperature for honey samples, and then sent to ADPEN for testing by overnight carrier with dry ice for frozen samples.  ADPEN upon receipt will homogenize the samples as needed.   Testing of the samples will be done using LC/MS/MS for the four fluoroquinolones.  ADPEN can arrange for collection of the samples in any city.  A Certificate of Analysis is provided when results are available.  Reporting can be done as per client request.   Raw data and supporting data can be provided to the State Agencies when requested. 

For quality control testing, a composite or 12 representative (reps) samples (one filet of fish, 5 ounces of shrimp or 2 ounces of honey per rep) from each lot should be obtained.  These samples are properly labeled, sealed and an official sample collection form is used to document the collection. The samples are maintained frozen, or kept at room temperature for honey samples, and then sent to ADPEN for testing by overnight carrier with dry ice for frozen samples.  ADPEN upon receipt will homogenize the samples as needed.   Testing of the samples will be done using LC/MS/MS for the four fluoroquinolones.  ADPEN can arrange for collection of the samples in any city.  A Certificate of Analysis is provided when results are available.  Reporting can be done as per client request.  

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PRESS RELEASES

Commissioner Stops Sale of Chinese Seafood With Banned Substance

May 4, 2007

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is adding China to the list of countries that must test seafood for a banned substance before it can be sold in Louisiana, Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Bob Odom said Friday.

“We’ve stopped the sale of Chinese seafood in Louisiana until we get test results proving it is free of the antibiotic fluoroquinolone,” Odom said. “I’m disgusted by other countries trying to harm our people and animals with tainted food products. This has got to stop. Our farmers, fishermen and ranchers are held to a high standard of safety in this country and we should expect seafood coming in from other countries to be held to the same standard.”

Odom’s department is enforcing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s established zero-tolerance policy for this class of antibiotics.

Fluoroquinolones were previously found in Vietnamese seafood in 2005. Currently, any seafood from that country must be tested by an approved lab and proven to be free of the substance before it can be sold in the state. China is now being added to the list.

Odom said he was notified by Alabama’s agriculture commissioner about the possible presence of fluoroqinolones in Chinese catfish at the end of last week.

“Our inspectors pulled seafood samples from the U.S., China, Vietnam and Thailand. Of the 14 samples, one from China and one from Vietnam came back positive for fluoroquinolones. The product from the U.S. came back clean,” Odom explained. “We’re still waiting on results from four of the samples.”

The positive Vietnamese product was already being held on stop sale orders because it did not have test results from an approved lab.

“This proves our testing requirements work. We stopped the Vietnamese product because the papers showed it was tested in Vietnam and free of fluoriquinolones. Our rules say it must be tested outside of Vietnam. Once we got the test results back from our lab, it was positive,” Odom said. “This shows zero-tolerance policies must be enforced to protect our consumers.”

Odom said recent problems with foreign food products point out the need to have strong agriculture in the United States.

“This renews my determination to continue fighting for American farmers at the national level. Consumers deserve to feel confident in the food they serve to their families and keeping domestic farmers in production delivers that confidence,” Odom said. “We cannot and should not depend on foreign countries to feed our people.”

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry

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April 25, 2007 - Sparks Presents Results of Fish Testing

MONTGOMERY - Commissioner Ron Sparks held a press conference today to reveal the results of tests conducted on samples of imported fish from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam.The samples were obtained from nine different food storage warehouses between February 13, 2007 and March 29, 2007. The two types of fish that were tested include catfish from China and a farm raised basa type fish from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Based on the results of analysis from thirty-three fish samples, Sparks has issued an automatic Stop Sale order for all catfish from China. Additional testing will be required for the farm raised basa type fish products from Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

Twenty samples of catfish from China were collected for analysis. Of those twenty, fourteen tested positive for fluoroquinolones, an antibiotic banned for use in the United States by the FDA. The samples found in violation represent approximately 214,260 pounds of catfish and there are approximately 300,000 additional pounds of product suspended pending analysis.

Thirteen samples of basa type fish products from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia were tested. Five of these samples tested positive for fluoroquinolones. The five samples that tested positive were from Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

All samples tested negative for malachite green.

Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries

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PRESS RELEASE

FROM LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
 

Inspectors Comb the State for Vietnamese Seafood

August 15, 2005

Since Friday, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry has stopped the sale of nearly 700,000 pounds of Vietnamese seafood that could be adulterated, Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Bob Odom said this afternoon.

“We’re going from location to location making sure we find it all,” Odom said. “We’re not trying to disrupt business or treat anyone unfairly, we are enforcing the law. There is a reason the FDA has a zero-tolerance for this antibiotic and it’s to protect you and me and our children and grandchildren.”

Odom introduced an emergency declaration Friday stopping the sale of all Vietnamese seafood after the FDA found fluoroquinolones, a class of antibiotics, in basa fish imported from the Asian country. The seafood must be tested and found clean before it can be released for sale.

“I’ve said this before and I will say it again, we must all play by the same rules. If we can’t use these substances in U.S. food production, then countries we do business with shouldn’t use them either. We all have to abide by the same rules,” Odom said.

Inspectors are going to cold storage facilities, seafood markets, restaurants, grocery stores and other retail establishments to locate all of the Vietnamese product in the state. Odom said the inspectors have found basa, crab meat and other seafood from the country.

“When families sit down to eat, I want them to enjoy their meal and feel confident that it is safe for them to eat. As Commissioner, I feel it is my duty to ensure that people know what they are getting and that it meets all of the federal requirements,” Odom said. “I want people to continue eating seafood, beef, poultry, produce and all the other great foods we have out there without worry.”

Vietnamese basa used to be sold in Louisiana as catfish until the state Legislature in 2004, at the urging of catfish farmers and Odom, forced distributors and retailers to use the proper name for the fish. Vietnamese basa is not from the same family and does not look anything like U.S. catfish in the wild. It had always been known as basa or tra in Vietnam.

 

 

 

 

Three States Ban Seafood Imported from Vietnam
Wednesday August 17, 2005 12:46pm

Mobile, Alabama (AP) - Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks has banned the sale of Vietnamese-imported seafood in the state. A similar ban is also in effect in Louisiana where nearly 350 tons of Vietnamese seafood has been taken off the market.

Sparks issued the order Friday and said it will remain in effect until all basa fish in the state can be tested for fluoroquinolones-- an antibiotic outlawed for agricultural uses in the U.S.

Sparks joined agricultural commissioners Bob Odom of Louisiana and Lester Spell of Mississippi in stopping the sale of all seafood from Vietnam after the FDA found the antibiotic in basa catfish imported from that country. Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross has complained about the imported fish, too.

Those antibiotics are used to treat tuberculosis, pneumonia and other infections in people and sometimes added to fish food in other countries.
 

 

 

 

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* Turnaround times in workdays.  Times may vary depending on workload.  For non-routine analyses 7 to 10 working days.  For non-routine analyses or research analyses that require instrument optimization or instrument lab or setup, approximately 10 to 15 working days.