A RAPID AND EFFICIENT METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF OXYTETRACYCLINE IN SHRIMPS

摘要

Aquaculture is becoming a thriving industry in Brazil and is destined to become even more vital as the traditional shrimp industry declines. Shrimps reared in an aquaculture environment are subject to conditions, which make them particularly susceptible to bacterial diseases. Aquaculturalists tend to treat bacterial diseases in shrimp by incorporating high levels of antibiotics in the feed. Oxytetracycline (OTC) is a very useful antibiotic for this purpose. The shrimps, once treated should be maintained for a sufficient time on unmedicated feed to allow for clearance of the drug to below the current Brazilian guideline level of 100 Hg/Kg. Clearance times can vary greatly depending on the sea water temperature with withdrawal times of grater than 180days being reported for sea water temperatures of less than 8 °C (1). If proper withdrawal times have not been observed, it is possible that some of the aquaculture shrimp offered for sale may contain significant OTC residues.