Chloramphenicol residues found in milk processed in Northern Parana, Brazil

Antibiotic residues in products of animal origin are of great concern to regulatory agencies and consumers worldwide. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has promoted the development of bacterial resistance, which has become an international issue. The occurrence of chloramphenicol (CAP) was evaluated in 84 raw milk samples from the reception platform of a dairy industry at Northern Parana, Brazil and this rate of occurrence was used to estimate the extent of exposure of CAP to the consumer. In the present study CAP determination was carried out by ELISA and found in 28.6 % of the samples. Levels ranged from not detected to 3953.39 ng/L. Despite prohibition of CAP by Brazilian Legislation, residues of CAP were detected in milk. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of CAP was evaluated, and the average intake ranged from 0.092 ng/kg body weight (b.w.) for adolescents to 0.084 ng/kg b.w. for the elderly. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on estimated CAP dietary exposure from Parana, Brazil.