Today, testing for antibiotics in food is a mandatory requirement for businesses in these industries:
- Food
- Seafood
- Milk
- Animal feed
To make sure products do not exceed the allowed thresholds, businesses usually use three main methods:
- Rapid antibiotic tests
- ELISA
- LC-MS/MS
👉 Each method has different strengths and purposes
1. Rapid antibiotic tests — the on-site testing solution
* Characteristics:
- Time: 5–15 minutes
- Easy to use
- No complex equipment needed
* Advantages:
- Rapid checks in the factory
- Early risk detection
- Low cost
* Disadvantages:
- Lower accuracy than laboratory methods
- Mainly used for screening
👉 This method suits:
- Checking incoming raw materials
- Rapid testing before shipment
2. The antibiotic ELISA method
- Principle: uses an immune reaction to detect antibiotics in the sample.
* Advantages:
- High sensitivity
- Capable of quantification
- Suited to laboratories
* Disadvantages:
- Requires equipment
- Takes longer than rapid tests
👉 Suitable for:
- Specialized QC laboratories
- Scheduled verification
3. The antibiotic LC-MS/MS method
- Principle: analysis by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.
* Advantages:
- Very high accuracy
- Detects many kinds of antibiotic at the same time
- Used as the confirmation method
* Disadvantages:
- Very high cost
- Requires modern equipment
- Needs expert operators
👉 Suitable for:
- Central laboratories
- Export testing
4. Comparing the antibiotic testing methods
5. When should each method be used?
Rapid antibiotic tests
- When rapid on-site checks are needed
- Testing before materials are received
Antibiotic ELISA
- When quantitative results are needed
- Testing in the QC laboratory
Antibiotic LC-MS/MS
- When the highest accuracy is required
- Confirming results before export
Optimal solution: combine several methods
Today the most effective trend is 👉 Rapid test → ELISA → LC-MS/MS
Specifically:
- Rapid tests to screen
- ELISA for detailed checks
- LC-MS/MS for final confirmation
👉 It helps a business save cost, reduce risk, and gain accuracy
The role of rapid tests in the modern business
R-Biopharm test kits are widely used because of their:
- Speed
- Good sensitivity
- Suitability for many sample types
👉 This is the solution that helps a business: control quality proactively, avoid rejected shipments, and raise production efficiency
Conclusion
Every antibiotic testing method in food has its own role:
- Rapid tests → rapid checks
- ELISA → quantitative analysis
- LC-MS/MS → accurate confirmation
A business should choose or combine them sensibly to ensure:
- Food safety
- Regulatory compliance
- Stronger competitiveness
👉 See the antibiotic ELISA test kits we supply at the following link:
https://pacificlab.vn/vi/shops/group/phan-tich-du-luong-khang-sinh/