Critically important antibiotic-residues assessment in raw meat of various origins marketed in Egyptian markets by mass spectrometer.

The current study aimed to assess critical antibiotic-residue levels in raw beef of various origins marketed in Egyptian markets, and to judge consumption acceptability in relation to maximum residue limits (MRLs) established by the national Egyptian food safety organization (NFSA). At sales points, 30 samplesof raw ribeye beef and kidney samples(15 of each) were collected and evaluated for the presence of antibiotic-residues by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Overall, results revealed that amoxicillin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, oxytetracyclines, tylosin, sulfonamides, gentamycin, and florfenicol verified positive in approximately 67%, 53%, 40%, 37%, 27%, 17%, 33%, 23%, 27%, 50%, 50%, and 13% of the samples, respectively. At least two antibiotic-residues from one antibiotic class and up to ten antibiotic-residues from seven different antibiotic classes were identified in the investigated meat and kidney samples. Residues of β-Lactam antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and ampicillin, and cephalosporins like cefotaxime, were the most commonly recognized class in 93.33% of the samples, followed by fluoroquinolones at 70%.The MRLs for amoxicillin, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, oxytetracycline, Tylosin, and gentamycin residues were violated in 100%, 13.3%, 20.0%, 20.0%, 66.7%, 6.7%, 53.3%, and 33.3% of LTL samples, respectively. However, the MRLs for amoxicillin (26.16-351.22 µg/kg), cefotaxime (27.17-226.22 µg/kg), ciprofloxacin (30.48-279 µg/kg), and sulfonamides (19.31-266.83 µg/kg) were violated by 53.3%, 80.0%, 13.3%, and 33.3% of kidney samples, respectively, making them dangerous for human consumption. Conclusively, prevalent multiple-residues index, violation rates and critically important antibiotic detection in current samples, indicating widespread abuse and misuse of antibiotics in Egyptian veterinary sector.