DETECTION OF ERYTHROMYCIN IN RAW-MILK BY AN ANTIBODY-CAPTURE-IMMUNOASSAY

Erythromycin is a compound of the macrolide group of antibiotics and i s widely used in the intramammary treatment of bovine mastitis. A prel iminary EU-MRL (maximum residue limit, expiry date 1.6.2000) for milk is fixed at 40 mu g/kg. The ELISA developed for the detection of eryth romycin is an antibody-capture test. Parameters of the test, such as l imit of detection (LOD) and repeatability, were statistically evaluate d, especially via a variance analysis. LOD is at 10 mu g/kg; in additi on, samples exceeding the MRL can be identified and a further quantifi cation up to 80 mu g/kg is possible without sample dilution. These res ults were verified by the investigation of 100 blind samples.