Trace analysis of chloramphenicol residues in eggs, milk, and meat: comparison of gas chromatography and radioimmunoassay

A radioimmunological assay (RIA) to detect chloramphenicol (CAP) residues in eggs, milk, and meat is described. For tissues and other edible products of chloramphenicol-treated animals (chickens, cows, and pigs), the limit of detection is about 200 ng/kg. Residue levels above 1 microgram/kg can easily be quantitated. When highly specific antisera produced in sheep were used, cross-reactivity was insignificant except for metabolites deviating from the parent compound in the acyl side chain only. Thiamphenicol fails to bind to the antisera; hence, it does not interfere with the assay. In the procedure described, the role of cleanup is merely to remove lipids. Thus, skim milk can be analyzed following appropriate dilution without cleanup. The results obtained by RIA were confirmed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The new RIA allows rapid, sensitive, and specific screening of large numbers of samples.