The frequency distribution of tetracycline residue in yolk and albumen of eggs distributed in Isfahan, Iran

In recent years, extreme usage of tetracycline antibiotic in aviculture has been evidenced repeatedly in some countries. In some cases, the residue levels exceeded the maximum permitted level. However, the presence of tetracycline in eggs has not been scientifically investigated in Iran thus far. The present study was conducted in order to assess the level of tetracycline residue in egg samples distributed in Isfahan market, Iran.
The present cross-sectional study was designed and conducted during autumn 2014 on 40 samples of commercially produced eggs from different brands and 6 samples of locally produced eggs. The samples were randomly collected from retail markets in Isfahan. Samples were examined using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) commercial test kit for tetracycline residue measurement. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA in SPSS software.
Findings: The levels of tetracycline residue in egg samples ranged from 0.56 ppb to 9.7 ppb, with an average value of 3.1 ppb. These results suggest the compliance of the detected residue levels with the permitted maximum levels established by the European committee (200 ppb). In addition, egg yolk samples showed significantly higher amounts of tetracycline than the albumen samples.
As a major finding of this study, the eggs distributed in Isfahan maintain wide margin of safety regarding tetracycline contamination.