New test for detection of antibiotic residues in milk

TetraStar produces clear results in six minutes and is an extremely simple dipstick test that requires only minimal training and equipment to produce consistently accurate results.

The product enables testing at milk reception to verify that milk is in accordance with regulatory demands for maximum residue limits and that any tetracycline remains in the milk do not interfere with production cultures.

The tetracyclines group of dairy antibiotics are used to treat bovine mastitis. Over the years there has been an increase in demand for higher productivity from individual cows, often resulting in more infections and subsequently an increased use of antibiotic treatments. Under normal circumstances, treated cows must be isolated for a certain period before being milked. The normal quarantine period is four to five days but this may vary according to the type of antibiotic used and the applied dosage.

If this quarantine period is not adhered to, farmers run a high risk of the antibiotic residue passing into the milk. Penalties for positive antibiotic residues are often severe.

The EU has set a maximum residue level of 100 parts per billion for tetracyclines in milk.

Contact: Chr Hansen: ​+45 45 74 76 92