Investigation of beta-lactam antibiotic residues in raw milk obtained from Afyonkarahisar province

Antibiotics usage for treating, protective and similar purposes of animals may cause residue in foods of animal origin. Raw milk has high risk in terms of antibiotics residue. The consumption of such foods can cause serious health problems in human. For this purpose, 80 raw milk samples were collected from Afyonkarahisar province and analysed for beta-lactam antibiotics by means of ELISA. The result of analyses showed that 38 samples did not contain beta-lactam residue, 35 samples contained different concentration and acceptable maximum residue limits of beta-lactam and 7 samples contained high level of residue which is more than acceptable maximum residue limits. In conclusion, relatively high level of residue in raw milk showed that milk is offered for human consumption without taking it into consideration of withdrawal time.