In the Department for Residue Testing, analyses related to the safety parameters of food, animal feed, dietary products, and articles of general use are performed.
The Department uses accredited methods to determine residues of veterinary medicinal products, pesticides, heavy metals, and other toxic substances.
Antibiotics, anthelmintics, sulfonamides, thyreostatics, coccidiostats, sedatives, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and nitrofurans are among the groups of veterinary drugs whose residues are determined using chromatographic methods. Regarding pesticides, the Department analyzes organochlorine, organophosphorus, and carbamate pesticides, as well as pyrethroids. In addition to the determination of toxic elements (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) enables the determination of a wide range of micro- and macro-elements. Accredited methods are also available for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked products, histamine, and colorants in fish and fish products.
Within the Department for Residue Testing, immunoenzymatic methods represent a group of triage screening methods. The ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) technique is reliable, faster, and more cost-effective compared to classical instrumental methods. The commercial immunoenzymatic tests used are validated by the manufacturers as well as in the INMES laboratory. More than thirty methods are accredited and are used in routine work for testing the safety of food, dietary products, and animal feed.
Most of the analyses related to the implementation of the national monitoring plan for veterinary drug residues are based on ELISA methods. In our laboratory it is possible to determine the content of natural hormones (progesterone, testosterone, and 17β-estradiol in animal plasma), as well as the presence of the most important representatives of synthetic steroids (19-nortestosterone, trenbolone, boldenone, methyltestosterone, ethinylestradiol), and other prohibited substances such as stilbenes (dienestrol, hexoestrol, diethylstilbestrol), resorcylic acid lactones, corticosteroids, and beta-agonists in tissues and organs of farm animals, as well as in urine, animal feed, and drinking water.
A large group of reliable commercial methods consists of ELISA tests for the determination of mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, total aflatoxins (B1+B2, G1+G2), zearalenone, T-2 toxin, ochratoxin A, and deoxynivalenol) in food and animal feed, as well as aflatoxin M1 in milk and dairy products.
The requirement that food available on the market must be safely labeled with regard to ingredients with allergenic properties has led to the accreditation of methods in our laboratory for determining gluten, soy proteins, and egg proteins, as well as milk allergens (β-lactoglobulin and casein). In addition, ELISA tests enable the determination of melamine, chloramphenicol, and sulfonamides in various food products and animal feed.
In addition to food safety testing for the purpose of assessing compliance with regulations, the Department’s staff actively participate in the implementation of scientific research projects and, due to their expertise and experience as well as the availability of modern analytical equipment, they also provide analytical services to other research organizations.
In order to further improve its work, the Department maintains intensive cooperation with EU reference laboratories in the Netherlands, France, and Germany, actively participates in risk assessment programs and in improving communication regarding food safety risks, and continuously plans the development, optimization, and validation of new methods for testing toxic substances.